# Niche Establishment by Bacteroides fragilis - Resubmission 01

> **NIH NIH F30** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2020 · $1

## Abstract

Project Summary
Maternally acquired microbes may predispose to disease later in life; however, the determinants of niche
establishment and their contributions to disease are poorly understood. We have developed a mouse model of
vertical transmission in which the common human commensal enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF),
carried by the dam, is stably established in the neonatal microbiota. Surprisingly, Bacteroides fragilis toxin
(BFT), a carbohydrate-regulated metalloprotease associated with E-cadherin cleavage, is a key determinant of
maternal inheritance, as BFT-deficient ETBF shows impaired persistence in weaned mice. Enteric disease in
adulthood can be induced by antibiotics and is characterized by ETBF outgrowth, elevated bft expression, and
loss of colonic mucus. We propose a model in which antibiotic treatment favors expansion of the mucolytic
ETBF population and depletion of mucus-associated sugars, leading to bft derepression and host injury.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9888326
- **Project number:** 5F30AI126791-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Benjamin Casterline
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-01 → 2020-04-02

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9888326

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9888326, Niche Establishment by Bacteroides fragilis - Resubmission 01 (5F30AI126791-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9888326. Licensed CC0.

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