# Biomolecular condensates as organizers of mRNA decay in bacteria

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $308,367

## Abstract

Despite the absence of organelles, bacteria exhibit an intricate subcellular organization
that is required for cells to grow, divide and replicate. A key question is how do simple bacteria
go beyond bags of molecules to spatially and temporally organize physiological processes
needed to sustain life and regulate development? It has been shown that bacteria achieve
subcellular organization using microcompartments, curvature sensing, nucleoid occlusion, and
unique lipid and peptidoglycan composition at the cell poles. Liquid-phase separated droplets,
termed biomolecular condensates, spatially organize biochemical pathways as membraneless
organelles in eukaryotes including P-bodies and stress granules. In collaboration with Jared
Schrader's lab, we discovered that ribonuclease Rnase E forms liquid-phase separated
bacterial ribonucleoprotein bodies (BR-bodies) that share similarities with P-bodies and stress
granules. In this proposal we investigate: 1) the mechanisms that promote Rnase E BR-body
formation, 2) mechanisms that regulate selective permeability of BR-bodies to messenger RNA
over non-coding RNAs, and 3) the role of Rnase E scaffolding and biomolecular condensation
upon mRNA decay. Our studies of BR-bodies will likely provide an illuminating initial example of
biomolecular condensates as central organizers of biochemistry within bacteria, and reveal new
modes of genetic regulation. This new understanding of mRNA decay should also reveal new
insights into regulatory processes that govern bacterial virulence pathways and identify potential
antibiotic strategies that disrupt BR-body functions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9942566
- **Project number:** 1R01GM136863-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** William Seth Childers
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $308,367
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-04-21 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9942566

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9942566, Biomolecular condensates as organizers of mRNA decay in bacteria (1R01GM136863-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9942566. Licensed CC0.

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