# Genetic analysis of toxinogenesis of Vibrio cholerae

> **NIH NIH R37** · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · 2020 · $847,498

## Abstract

Project Summary
Vibrio cholerae remains a major threat to world health in that cholera epidemics have ravaged Yemin, Africa,
South Asia, and Haiti in only the last decade. This bacterial organism is also a powerful model system for
understanding microbial pathogenesis and has ushered many new technologies for analyzing pathogen-host
interactions. This proposal seeks a deeper understanding of how this mucosal pathogen interacts with
commensal organisms, viral agents, and the host immune system. AI-018045 has previously supported V.
cholerae research that has led to the discovery and characterization of cGAMP, a cyclic dinucleotide (CDN)
and isomer of the product produced by cGAS (an immune sensor of clinical importance to autoimmunity and
cancer). V. cholerae was used to engineer a form of the human cGAS enzyme that is locked in a DNA-bound,
active conformation and this allowed its crystal structure to be solved facilitating anti-cGAS drug discovery.
Previously, killing by the V. cholerae Type VI secretion system (T6SS) of commensal E. coli strains was found
to induce an innate immune response that triggered early V. cholerae virulence gene expression in the host.
The present proposal now offers creative experimental aproaches aimed at new challenges that have emerged
from these discoveries including 1) understanding the biological activities of cGAMP made by the V. cholerae
enzyme DncV including phage resistance and whether other novel cyclic and linear oligonucleotides
synthesized by DncV-related enzymes discovered in the genomes of thousands of bacterial isolates have
immunomodulatory activity and anti-viral function, 2) testing the hypothesis that cholera toxin (CT) production
drives transmission through diarrhea or by reprogramming host metabolism so V. cholerae can take advantage
of a CT-induced niche that is rich in hemin and long chain fatty acids, 3) understanding host innate immune
activation that depends on the attack of commensal organisms by the T6SS of V. cholerae and 4) continuing
the development of live attenuated probiotic-like vaccine HaitiV and Whole Cell Conjugate (WCC) vaccine
technologies. State-of-the-art genetic, biochemical and cell biological approaches will be employed to address
these topics which offer answers to questions such as i) what are the most important T6SS effectors and host
pathways involved in T6SS commensal killing and induction of intestinal colonization by V. cholerae HaitiV? ii)
Would commensal, pathogenic, or attenuated organisms loaded with with CDNs enhance T6SS-dependent
host innate signaling and intestinal colonization of HaitiV? iii) Can a CRISPRi gene silencing technology
developed for V. cholerae be used to enhance production of outer membrane vesicles which might deliver
cGAMP or bacterial effector proteins into host cells? This proposal offers scientific impact that extends well
beyond addressing cholera as a threat, and is likely to yield new discoveries that will reshape microbiological
rese...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9849154
- **Project number:** 5R37AI018045-40
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
- **Principal Investigator:** John Joseph Mekalanos
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $847,498
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1981-07-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9849154

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9849154, Genetic analysis of toxinogenesis of Vibrio cholerae (5R37AI018045-40). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9849154. Licensed CC0.

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