# Diversity Supplement to Elucidating the Orchestrated Bacterial Response to Copper Toxicity

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 2021 · $58,780

## Abstract

Project Summary
Copper is broadly toxic to bacteria despite being them being in contact since antiquity. Copper toxicity is seen
in practice where copper surfaces and tools significantly reduce nosocomial infections and during host
mediated nutritional immunity (sequestering essential metals while bombarding bacterial with toxic metals).
While mechanisms of copper toxicity include Fenton chemistry and mismetallation, research is limited
regarding these mechanisms are limited. Bacteria have a copper export system consisting of a repressor, a
copper chaperone, and a copper exporter. The R35 this diversity supplement proposal is attached explores
how bacteria, specifically Streptococcus pneumoniae evolved to interact with copper both from an effect and
response point of view. Ms. Sanchez-Rosario has joined my laboratory and will work to elucidate these copper-
specific mechanisms in S. pneumoniae on the side of bacterial responses.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10385571
- **Project number:** 3R35GM128653-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael David Leslie Johnson
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $58,780
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10385571

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10385571, Diversity Supplement to Elucidating the Orchestrated Bacterial Response to Copper Toxicity (3R35GM128653-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10385571. Licensed CC0.

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