# Ecological niche assignment in the gut microbiome on an ecosystem-level scale

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2023 · $410,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The gut microbiome comprises hundreds of microbial species that inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract and
impact host health in a myriad of ways. Diverse microbes coexist in the gut by specializing in distinct
colonization strategies which collectively give rise to a complex microbial ecosystem with emergent functional
properties. Despite the critical nature of the specialized ecological roles in explaining the composition and
function of the microbiome, colonization strategies employed by the majority of gut microbes remains poorly
defined. The proposed research will take two approaches to broadly assign colonization strategies to diverse
gut microbes. A first part of the proposed project will employ comparative genome analyses to determine the
distribution of established microbial functions across the gut microbiome and to guide the discovery of novel
colonization strategies. A second part of the project will utilize unbiased growth assays to identify members of
the microbial community adapted for diverse colonization strategies. The molecular basis of identified
colonization strategies will be further interrogated through the application of genetic and biochemical
approaches. By assigning ecological context to diverse members of the gut microbiota, these studies will
advance a basic understanding of the gut ecosystem that could benefit the development of diagnostic and
therapeutic microbiome-based technologies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10674905
- **Project number:** 5R35GM146969-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Samuel Light
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $410,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10674905

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10674905, Ecological niche assignment in the gut microbiome on an ecosystem-level scale (5R35GM146969-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10674905. Licensed CC0.

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