# Project 3: Post-transcriptional regulation of innate immunity to Legionella pneumophila

> **NIH NIH P01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · 2020 · $341,064

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract (Project 3, Vance)
Intracellular pathogens remain a significant global cause of human morbidity and mortality. The overall goal of
this Program Project Grant is to characterize the host pathways that specifically detect and eliminate
intracellular bacterial pathogens. Project 3 will contribute to this overall goal by focusing on the intracellular
gram-negative bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila, the cause of Legionnaires' Disease in humans. As
in previous iterations of this Program Project Grant, our core strategy is to compare the host responses
induced by L. pneumophila to those induced by L. monocytogenes (Project 1) and M. tuberculosis (Project 2).
Leveraging these comparisons allows us to identify pathogen-specific responses as well as universal
responses induced by diverse intracellular bacterial pathogens. Three aims are proposed. In Aim 1, we test
the hypothesis that postranscriptional responses downstream of the STING pathway are important in
controlling intracellular bacterial infections. In Aim 2, we test the hypothesis that L. pneumophila specifically
targets the mTORC1 pathway. We hypothesize that mTORC1 manipulation liberates host amino acids for
bacterial consumption, but also contributes to innate immune responses to the bacterium. Lastly, in Aim 3, we
take a broader approach and use comprehensive profiling technologies to identify novel post-transcriptional
responses that regulate the host response to L. pneumophila. Our expectation is that by discovering novel
host pathways that regulate intracellular bacterial growth and innate immunity, we will identify targets that can
be exploited for therapeutic intervention.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9977107
- **Project number:** 5P01AI063302-17
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
- **Principal Investigator:** RUSSELL E VANCE
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $341,064
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2004-12-01 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9977107

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9977107, Project 3: Post-transcriptional regulation of innate immunity to Legionella pneumophila (5P01AI063302-17). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9977107. Licensed CC0.

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