How RNA Controls Genes in Bacteria and What Makes It Evolve
Official title: Investigating Evolutionary Constraints on Regulatory RNA
Funded at Boston College · NIH-11361622 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project at a Boston College lab aims to understand how bacterial regulatory RNAs control gene activity and how their evolving mechanisms are shaped by biology and physics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chestnut Hill, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2025 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $387,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM158403-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11361622 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients directly; this is basic science exploring bacterial RNA.
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient involvement or benefit in this basic science project.
What this research studies
This project investigates how RNA molecules in bacteria regulate gene expression and how their regulatory abilities change over time. It combines experimental work, computation, and theory to connect biophysical constraints with RNA evolution. The findings could reveal general principles of RNA function that influence bacterial behavior and adaptation. The research focuses on cis-regulatory RNAs in bacteria like Diplococcus pneumoniae and how robustness, plasticity, and epistasis affect their evolution.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: New insights into RNA-based gene regulation could inform future approaches to fighting bacterial infections and engineering bacteria for beneficial uses.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work links protein evolution concepts to RNA evolution, but applying these ideas broadly to bacterial regulatory RNAs is still emerging.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Meyer, Michelle Margaret — Boston College
- Study coordinator: Meyer, Michelle Margaret
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.