# Genotoxicity and immunogenicity of the uropathogenic specific protein (USP) in the gut

> **NIH NIH R16** · UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO MED SCIENCES · 2024 · $151,306

## Abstract

PI: Baerga-Ortiz, Abel
Title: Genotoxicity and immunogenicity of the uropathogenic specific protein (usp) in the gut
Project Summary
The uropathogenic specific protein (USP) is a multi-domain protein with nuclease activity
harbored by some uropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli. The protein has been shown to
cause damage to cultured endothelial cells. Although USP is primarily associated with urinary
tract, the USP gene has been found in a large percentage of fecal samples screened across
populations in Japan, USA and Puerto Rico. The presence of USP in fecal samples raises the
question of 1) whether USP is toxic to the gastrointestinal tract and 2) whether this toxicity is a
risk factor for intestinal disorders. This proposal is an effort to understand the gut-specific
activity/toxicity of purified USP. Our group has already expressed and purified a USP
protein with high nuclease activity. This R16 proposal details work that will be performed
entirely by students, in which purified USP will be used to: 1) Investigate toxicity of USP
against cultured patient-derived intestinal organoids, 2) Delineate possible mechanisms of
USP entry into cultured patient-derived intestinal organoids, and 3) Explore whether the
presence of USP in fecal samples is correlated with an anti-USP antibody response. All of the
proposed experiments will help to ascertain a possible gut-specific activity of USP, which may
impact disease risk.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10850032
- **Project number:** 1R16GM153691-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO MED SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Abel J Baerga-Ortiz
- **Activity code:** R16 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $151,306
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-01 → 2028-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10850032

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10850032, Genotoxicity and immunogenicity of the uropathogenic specific protein (USP) in the gut (1R16GM153691-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10850032. Licensed CC0.

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