# Heterogeneity in bacterial quorum sensing during infection

> **NIH NIH R01** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · 2020 · $5,053

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Quorum sensing describes the signaling mechanism that promotes intercellular communication among
bacteria. Bacteria synthesize small, signaling molecules called autoinducers that freely diffuse across cellular
membranes. Detection of autoinducers by a cell typically causes a change in gene expression, which alters its
physiology. Because quorum sensing regulates genes encoding factors that enable bacteria to associate with
host tissue, determining the molecular mechanisms underlying quorum sensing is significant for understanding
how microbes initially interact with a host. The overall goal of this proposal is to increase understanding of
strain-specific differences in quorum sensing. Vibrio fischeri is a bacterium that produces bioluminescence in
response to quorum sensing within its natural host, the Hawaiian bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes. To
achieve this goal, an undergraduate summer research program that investigates natural strain variation in
quorum sensing is proposed. Students will participate remotely in two primary research activities: 1) genome
and phylogenetic analyses of different V. fischeri isolates, and 2) in silico simulations of quorum sensing. The
proposed research will reveal how a quorum-sensing system varies among different V. fischeri strains, which is
significant because this knowledge provides insight into the evolution of a bacterial symbiont. Students are
expected to make gains in technical, operational, and professional skills associated with the genomic and
phylogenetic analyses of microbes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10145187
- **Project number:** 3R01GM129133-02S2
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** Timothy Miyashiro
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $5,053
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10145187

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10145187, Heterogeneity in bacterial quorum sensing during infection (3R01GM129133-02S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10145187. Licensed CC0.

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