# Environmental adaptation by Vibrio cholerae

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $375,995

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease that affects 3-5 million people each year. Cholera is
caused by Vibrio cholerae; a Gram-negative bacterium and facultative human pathogen that is native to
aquatic ecosystems around the world. The worldwide distribution of V. cholerae makes it a significant
health threat anytime human populations lack access to clean water and good sanitation; a fact
exemplified by the ongoing cholera epidemics in Haiti and Yemen. The devastating consequences of
cholera combined with the rapidity with which it can spread, evolving antibiotic resistance, and its ability
to persist in aquatic ecosystems, have underscored the need for the development of novel approaches
to limit the spread of this epidemic disease. We recently discovered that cellular metabolites produced
by V. cholerae can serve as environmental cues to downregulate the production of the virulence factors
cholera toxin and the toxin coregulated pilus. In this proposal, we will investigate how cell metabolites
and other environmental signals modulate transcriptional responses involved in the V. cholerae life
cycle. Two specific aims are proposed. The first aim will characterize the role of the LysR-family
transcriptional regulator LeuO in V. cholerae pathogenesis and environmental adaptation. The second
aim will investigate how the membrane-bound transcriptional regulator ToxR senses and responds to
environmental stimuli. Determining the regulatory mechanisms and environmental cues that modulate
adaptive responses will illuminate important aspects of V. cholerae pathogenesis, provide a better
understanding of the factors that contribute to the epidemic spread, and may lead to the development
of novel approaches to combat the disease cholera.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9975688
- **Project number:** 5R01AI132460-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMES Edward BINA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $375,995
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-03 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9975688

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9975688, Environmental adaptation by Vibrio cholerae (5R01AI132460-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9975688. Licensed CC0.

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