# Deciphering the molecular circuitry that controls cell cycle progression in bacteria

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · 2021 · $292,984

## Abstract

Maintaining the integrity of the genome is essential to cell survival. To accomplish this vital task, major cell
cycle events including chromosome replication, segregation, and proper timing of cytokinesis are exquisitely
coordinated, temporally and spatially. Any defect that disturbs this coordination can be lethal. Although
replication, segregation, and cell division have been extensively studied in bacteria, our understanding of how
these processes are coordinated remains limited. Bacteria’s survival also depends on their ability to
coordinate cell cycle progression with environmental fluctuations. In this project, we focus on the conserved
chromosome replication initiator protein DnaA and its non-replicative functions. The long-term goal is to
characterize the molecular functions of regulators that coordinate the progression of the cell cycle and thus
represent potential drug targets. The overall objective of this project is to define the mechanisms used to
temporally coordinate the onset of chromosome replication with the progression of the cell cycle using the
bacterial model system Caulobacter crescentus. The central hypothesis is that DnaA controls the activity of
key regulators involved in chromosome segregation and cell size determination. The focus of Aim 1 is to
define how DnaA coordinates chromosome replication with the onset of segregation by characterizing the
physical association of DnaA with the chromosomal locus the centromere over the cell cycle. The focus of
Aim 2 is to define the molecular network that links DnaA’s activity to cell size regulation and its dependency
on nutrient availability. Information garnered from this project will provide valuable insights into strategies
used by bacteria to temporally and spatially coordinate the multiple mechanisms that are fundamental for the
cell survival.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10249364
- **Project number:** 5R01GM133833-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
- **Principal Investigator:** Paola E Mera
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $292,984
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-05 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10249364

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10249364, Deciphering the molecular circuitry that controls cell cycle progression in bacteria (5R01GM133833-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10249364. Licensed CC0.

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