# Investigating the role of lipoteichoic acid in surface protein presentation

> **NIH NIH K08** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2021 · $124,002

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is an important polymer localized on the surface of Gram-positive
bacteria. Discovered approximately 60 years ago, LTA comprises as much as 15% of the Gram-
positive cell envelop dry weight, and LTA-defective strains are often non-viable or display
severe growth defects, suggesting that LTA plays an important role in bacterial physiology. In
spite of LTA's importance in cell viability and how long we have known of its existence, our
understanding of LTA's role in bacterial physiology and how it contributes to survival remains
obscure. The overarching goal of this project is to fill this knowledge gap. Using the oral
commensal Streptococcus gordonii as a model Gram-positive organism, we show that LTA is
required for the localization of the adhesin-like lipoprotein ScaA on the cell wall. No effect in
transcription or steady-state level of ScaA protein was detected in other cellular compartment,
which led us to hypothesize that LTA serves a structural role in ScaA localization on the cell
wall. To test this hypothesis, we will (i) investigate the mechanisms involved in the cell
“decision” to place ScaA on the cell wall, since lipoproteins like ScaA are expected to be
retained within the cell membrane. (ii) We will determine whether ScaA directly binds LTA on
the cell wall. And (iii) we will determine if LTA is involved in the cell wall localization of other
proteins. These experiments will greatly enhance our understanding of this important Gram-
positive structure and the underlying molecular mechanisms by which it affects surface-protein
display, biofilm formation and, in some cases, cell viability.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10233831
- **Project number:** 5K08DE027705-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Bruno P Lima
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $124,002
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-18 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10233831

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10233831, Investigating the role of lipoteichoic acid in surface protein presentation (5K08DE027705-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10233831. Licensed CC0.

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