# Elucidation of Commensal Bacteria Mechanisms Required for Host Protection

> **NIH NIH R01** · ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $339,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Microbiota in animals provides an important barrier to infection against diverse microbial pathogens and
encode an important reservoir of anti-infective and protective factors. To identify anti-infective and protective
factors from beneficial bacterial species in gut microbiota, we used C. elegans as a model organism to
evaluate individual bacteria species and specific factors for protective activity against human enteric pathogens
such as Salmonella typhimurium. We discovered that a unique secreted peptidoglycan hydrolase, SagA, from
Enteroccocus faecium (commensal bacteria in humans and other animals) enhanced epithelial barrier function
and was sufficient to protect C. elegans and mice from S. typhimurium pathogenesis. These exciting results
suggest that SagA has unique activity in vivo and may be used to improve host barrier function to protect
against enteric pathogens and inflammatory bowl diseases (IBDs) in humans. To harness the protective
activity of SagA for therapeutic use, we propose to determine the precise mechanism(s) of SagA-mediated
protection in mammalian cells and mouse models. Our discovery of SagA protective activity provides an
exciting opportunity to understand the protective mechanism of beneficial gut bacterial species such as E.
faecium and to prevent or treat enteric microbial infections as well as inflammatory bowl disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9856888
- **Project number:** 5R01GM103593-08
- **Recipient organization:** ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Howard C Hang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $339,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-01-01 → 2021-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9856888

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9856888, Elucidation of Commensal Bacteria Mechanisms Required for Host Protection (5R01GM103593-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9856888. Licensed CC0.

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