# Deciphering the role of peroxisomes in bacterial pathogenesis

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $542,284

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Infectious disease is a major threat to human health worldwide. The emergence of
antibiotic resistance pathogens necessitates the development of new drugs to treat infections. A
fundamental challenge in developing antibiotics is that many pathogens replicate inside host
cells rendering them inaccessible to antimicrobial agents. The critical processes that govern
pathogen growth within host cells represent promising new targets for therapeutic intervention.
 Most bacterial pathogens that grow inside host cells do so in a specialized compartment
called the replication vacuole. Maintaining the integrity of the replication vacuole is critical to
bacterial survival and growth as it provides protection against host surveillance systems that
detect and eliminate pathogens. Disrupting this process would thus limit bacterial growth and
enabling pathogen killing by the host immune system.
 Recently, we discovered an unprecedented link between host cell peroxisomes and the
ability of the bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila to sustain its replication vacuole. The
impaired growth of Legionella in the absence of peroxisomes demonstrates a critical role for
peroxisomes in supporting Legionella infection. Peroxisomes play central roles in numerous
cellular processes. Importantly, peroxisomes are most widely recognized for their critical
functions in the production and breakdown of lipids, major constituents of pathogen replication
vacuoles and sources of nutrients for growing bacteria. This suggests that Legionella may
exploit peroxisomes to gain access to these essential molecules. In addition to Legionella, many
pathogens that grow within host cells, use common strategies to establish an infection, in
particular the formation and maintenance of a replication vacuole. Thus peroxisomes are likely
to be important for other infectious bacteria. The proposed research will define how
peroxisomes enable Legionella to cause disease while simultaneously avoiding detection and
elimination by the body’s natural defenses, which is paramount to the development of new
antibiotics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10595224
- **Project number:** 1R01AI163273-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Tamara O'Connor
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $542,284
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-19 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10595224

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10595224, Deciphering the role of peroxisomes in bacterial pathogenesis (1R01AI163273-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10595224. Licensed CC0.

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