Postdoctoral Fellowship: CREST-PRP: Discovering the transcriptional network of a novel interspecies interaction between Candida albicans and Clostridium perfringens

The goals of the CREST Postdoctoral Research Program (PRP) are to advance STEM knowledge, improve the nation's research competitiveness, and strengthen the preparation of the STEM workforce. This project aligns with those goals through the support of an early career scholar in the study of one of the most common pathogens affecting human health. Microbes rarely live in isolation; instead, they typically interact with one another to form complex microbial communities that can profoundly influence both natural and industrial ecosystems. One common and highly effective way these microorganisms cooperate is through the formation of biofilms, structured, multicellular communities that offer protection and enhance the community’s ability to survive environmental stresses and function collectively. In recent work, it was observed that the fungus Candida albicans is capable of interacting with strict anaerobic bacterial species, such as Clostridium perfringens, to form free-floating microbial aggregates called “mini- biofilms.” Remarkably, these mini-biofilms form under aerobic conditions, and provide a protective niche for the anaerobic bacteria. With support from the CREST-PRP, this project will study these processes to gain a mechanistic understanding of how mini-biofilms are formed and regulated to provide valuable insight into the ways microbial communities coordinate, adapt, and persist in diverse environments. This information could inform new strategies for controlling microbial populations in environmental, industrial, and clinical contexts, thus contributing to national security and global competitiveness. The award will provide support for a postdoctoral scholar who will perform the research and engage in professional development experiences to strengthen the PI's preparation as a scientist, thereby addressing agency priorities to develop the STEM workforce. Biological phenomena such as biofilm formation are often controlled by transcriptional networks, where transcription factors (TFs) regulate subsets of genes involved in complex biological processes. To uncover the transcriptional network governing mini-biofilm formation, the genome-wide binding profiles of 52 TFs that are identified to be putatively involved in mini-biofilm formation will be mapped. Integrating this binding data with existing transcriptional profiling data will reveal the complete transcriptional network governing mini-biofilm formation. Next, the top 30 downstream target genes of the core TFs will be studied to understand which genes play key functional roles in mini-biofilm formation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.