# Identification of RNA-binding proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

> **NIH NIH R21** · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2022 · $265,500

## Abstract

Abstract
 Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen of humans. It is the principal cause of
morbidity and mortality in Cystic Fibrosis patients and a major cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia. Central
to the ability of P. aeruginosa to cause disease are the activities of two post-transcriptional regulators RsmA
and Hfq, each of which influences the translation and/or abundance of hundreds of target mRNA species.
However, apart from RsmA and Hfq, little is known about the repertoire of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in P.
aeruginosa, or the potential regulatory roles they play. We have found that in P. aeruginosa many putative or
predicted RBPs (including RsmA) copurify with the cold shock protein CspD, itself an RBP, in an RNase
sensitive manner, implying that they are co-bound to subsets of the same RNA species that are bound by
CspD. In Aim 1, we will employ this affinity co-capture approach with four additional RBPs in P. aeruginosa to
obtain a more comprehensive picture of the RBPs that are found in this important opportunistic pathogen. In
Aim 2, we will focus on one protein (PhaF) that co-purifies with CspD in an RNase-sensitive manner, a known
regulator whose mechanism of action is poorly understood. Specifically, we propose to identify RNA species
that PhaF binds, determine whether the unusual nucleic acid binding region of PhaF represents a novel RNA-
binding determinant, and better define the PhaF regulon. Our studies will provide a compendium of RBPs in P.
aeruginosa and have the potential to illuminate the regulatory roles and mechanism of action of a novel RNA-
binding protein in this organism.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10428914
- **Project number:** 1R21AI168589-01
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** SIMON L DOVE
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $265,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-25 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10428914

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10428914, Identification of RNA-binding proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1R21AI168589-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10428914. Licensed CC0.

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