# Mechanoregulation of EHEC virulence

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · 2020 · $456,039

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Environmental sensing is at the basis of an organism’s ability to adapt its physiology to respond to changes in
its niche. Over the past years, it has emerged that bacteria not only perceive and respond to chemical stimuli,
but are capable of sensing and processing physical forces as an environmental cue. In the case of bacterial
pathogens, we and others have shown that mechanical stimuli can act as a hallmark of host colonization and
lead to activation of virulence genes. Despite this realisation, our mechanistic understanding of pathways and
systems involved in mechanosensing, transduction and processing of physical forces is currently limited, as is
our knowledge regarding the role of mechanoregulation within the host environment. The objective here is to
understand how enterohemorrhagic E. coli, an important human pathogen, responds to physical force. In the
human host, ingestion of EHEC can lead to enterocolitis and severe complications such as haemolytic uremic
syndrome. These hallmarks of infection are caused by the concerted action of virulence factors, including
colonization factors and Shiga-like toxins. Here, we will (a) characterize how virulence gene induction responds
to physical forces, (b) determine the biochemical basis of signal transduction between membrane and
transcriptional regulator, and (c) define the role of mechanosensing during the transitions between environmental
and host-associated lifestyles. This work will reveal how EHEC perceive and process physical forces, and
integrate these cues to coordinate their infection cycle. Such knowledge may highlight new targets for the
development of anti-infective strategies that disable the pathogen by rendering it ‘numb’ to the host.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9906845
- **Project number:** 5R01AI132354-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Anne-Marie Krachler
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $456,039
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-02 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9906845

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9906845, Mechanoregulation of EHEC virulence (5R01AI132354-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9906845. Licensed CC0.

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