# Electrogenic metabolism in host-associated microbial communities andpathogenesis

> **NIH NIH K22** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2021 · $107,232

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The gut microbiota consists of a complex microbial community that plays a number of important roles in human
health, including protection from invading intestinal pathogens. Extracellular electron transfer (EET) describes
a respiratory strategy that allows microbes to grow using electron acceptors exterior to the cell. I recently
discovered a distinctive flavin-based extracellular electron transfer (FLEET) mechanism that is prevalent in
gram-positive members of the gut microbiota, as well as the intestinal pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and
multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecalis. Traditionally viewed as a highly specialized growth strategy, the
discovery of FLEET extends the relevance of EET into novel nutrient-rich environments, including within the
complex microbial communities that define the gut microbiota. The studies proposed here seek to address: 1)
the molecular basis of FLEET function, 2) determine the role of FLEET and associated respiratory mechanisms
in the outgrowth of gram-positive pathogens in the gut, and 3) assess the effect of transferring high-energy
electrons into the surrounding environment on gut microbial communities. Findings from these experiments
promise to shape our understanding of interactions within microbial communities and metabolic strategies
employed by gram-positive pathogens for intestinal outgrowth.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10114194
- **Project number:** 5K22AI144031-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Samuel Light
- **Activity code:** K22 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $107,232
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-02-26 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10114194

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10114194, Electrogenic metabolism in host-associated microbial communities andpathogenesis (5K22AI144031-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10114194. Licensed CC0.

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