# Signaling Mechanisms in Vibrio Cholerae Parallel Quorum Sensing Pathways

> **NIH NIH R01** · TUFTS UNIVERSITY BOSTON · 2024 · $479,761

## Abstract

Project Summary
The human pathogen Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the disease cholera, regulates
virulence factor production, biofilm formation, competence, and other important processes
through quorum sensing (QS), a cell-cell communication mechanism that relies on the production,
detection, and response to chemical signal molecules called autoinducers. QS allows bacteria to
coordinate population-wide gene expression and function as coordinated groups. We have
identified four QS signaling pathways that integrate into the central QS circuit of V. cholerae.
Importantly, we found that disruption of these four sensory pathways altogether renders V.
cholerae unable to colonize animal hosts. Our data also suggest that ethanolamine and cyclic
AMP (cAMP), respectively, are responsible for controlling two of these receptors, CqsR and VpsS.
In Aim 1, we will determine how ethanolamine and other related molecules regulate CqsR. In Aim
2, we will determine how cAMP regulates VpsS. In Aim 3, we will define the regulatory hierarchy
in the V. cholerae QS circuit. Specifically, we will determine the roles of a recently discovered
cyclic dinucleotide called cyclic GMP-AMP in QS gene regulation. Together, our work will not only
define the role of QS in V. cholerae pathogenesis, it will also illustrate how integration of multiple
signals results in a coherent response in a bacterial cell-cell communication process. It is now
well established that QS is employed by many bacterial species to regulate both harmful and
beneficial traits. A long standing goal in the field is to develop pro-QS and/or anti-QS molecules
to manipulate bacterial group behaviors. Our hope is to harness the knowledge on QS to enable
the design of interference strategies that can be translated into new therapies to combat infectious
diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10795090
- **Project number:** 5R01AI121337-09
- **Recipient organization:** TUFTS UNIVERSITY BOSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Wai-Leung Ng
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $479,761
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2015-12-01 → 2026-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10795090

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10795090, Signaling Mechanisms in Vibrio Cholerae Parallel Quorum Sensing Pathways (5R01AI121337-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10795090. Licensed CC0.

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