# Proteome reprogramming by tRNA-cleaving toxins

> **NIH NIH R21** · RBHS-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL · 2021 · $186,836

## Abstract

Project Summary
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has adapted to survive a wide range of assaults—from our immune response
to antimicrobial therapeutics—intended to eradicate the organism. However, the molecular switches that enable
Mtb to endure these stresses, to slow replication or to become dormant as a latent tuberculosis infection are not
known. Emerging studies on the molecular underpinnings of stress survival point to the activity of the toxin
component of Mtb toxin-antitoxin systems in mediating the switch to the non-replicating persistent state
characteristic of latent tuberculosis infection. This R21 proposal outlines experiments that test the novel
hypothesis that a subset of these toxins do not globally inhibit translation but instead are highly specific tRNases
that trigger a combination of ribosome frameshifting and ribosome stalling to surgically manipulate the Mtb
proteome as a means to alter the physiology and/or metabolism of this pathogen.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10112828
- **Project number:** 5R21AI151574-02
- **Recipient organization:** RBHS-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
- **Principal Investigator:** NANCY ANN WOYCHIK
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $186,836
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-02-21 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10112828

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10112828, Proteome reprogramming by tRNA-cleaving toxins (5R21AI151574-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10112828. Licensed CC0.

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