# Saturating transposon mutagenesis for Chlamydia

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2024 · $220,303

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
 Chlamydia species are important pathogens that represent a paradigm for understanding
successful obligate intracellular parasitism. C. trachomatis is a prevalent human pathogen
exerting a tremendous negative impact on reproductive fitness, particularly in females. A
complete understanding is lacking regarding how these bacteria create and maintain an
intracellular niche, avoid/subvert host defense mechanisms, and cause disease. This
information is particularly important in the absence of an efficacious, preventative vaccine. The
ability to genetically manipulate an organism is essential for the definitive investigation of
relevant biology. Forward genetic approaches provide one of the most powerful strategies
available to accomplish untargeted elucidation of genes contributing to a particular phenotype.
For obligate intracellular bacteria, the full power of forward genetics has been generally
confounded by factors such as low transformation efficiency, complex developmental cycles,
and a requirement for cultivation under selective conditions. The utility of transposon-mediated
random mutagenesis in supporting forward genetics is well established in a multitude of
genetically tractable systems. Although initial progress has been made in Chlamydia, significant
barriers remain that preclude leveraging the full benefit of transposon mutagenesis. We have
engineered a platform that promises to overcome these barriers. We will build on initial progress
to i) create a robust, reproducible, and user-friendly transposon system, and ii) provide genome-
scale evidence for which genes are essential for chlamydial survival in HeLa cells. Both goals
will result in reagents and techniques capable of supporting down-stream studies interrogating
chlamydial biology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10948519
- **Project number:** 1R21AI185681-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** KENNETH A FIELDS
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $220,303
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-10 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10948519

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10948519, Saturating transposon mutagenesis for Chlamydia (1R21AI185681-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10948519. Licensed CC0.

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