# Characterization of novel biofilm regulators in P. aeruginosa

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR · 2020 · $290,197

## Abstract

Project Summary
A typical conception of bacteria represents them as individual and autonomous cells, yet
microbes often team up to enact collective behaviors. One such behavior is biofilm formation, in
which a community of cells lives within and is protected by a self-produced extracellular matrix.
Bacterial biofilms can be a nuisance to industry when they form in pipes or in liquid-handling
apparatuses, but they are an even greater hazard in human infections. Because the biofilm
matrix shields cells and because cells within biofilms display altered biological functions,
infectious biofilms are highly resistant to host immune responses and to antibiotic therapies.
The opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is notorious for its ability to form
treatment-resistant biofilms in burn wounds, diabetic ulcers, and in the lungs of cystic fibrosis
patients. Because such biofilm infections are so treatment-resistant, effective methods to
prevent biofilm infections are urgently needed. Such treatment modalities will be made possible
by the identification and characterization of new control points within the signaling network that
initiates biofilm formation; such control points might then be exploited to shut off biofilm
formation.
A sensitive visual screening method developed by the PI recently identified two proteins with
strong but previously unappreciated roles in P. aeruginosa biofilm signaling. Deletions of these
two proteins have opposite effects, stimulating or suppressing biofilm formation. As these
proteins potentially represent new control points, this proposal aims to characterize two of the
proteins, precisely defining their functions and fitting them in with to known biofilm signaling
pathways. What other proteins or molecules do they interact with to stimulate or suppress the
generation of a biofilm? These aims will be achieved by combining transcriptomics, visual
genetic screening, protein interaction screening, and other genetic and biochemical approaches.
This work will define the roles of newly discovered biofilm regulators and is also likely to
generate new leads with respect to the pathways that connect different nodes of the biofilm
signaling network. The network control points revealed by these data will in turn act as a
foundation for devising new strategies to effectively combat biofilm infections.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9853461
- **Project number:** 1P20GM134973-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew T Cabeen
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $290,197
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9853461

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9853461, Characterization of novel biofilm regulators in P. aeruginosa (1P20GM134973-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9853461. Licensed CC0.

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