Mapping how tuberculosis bacteria modify and tag their proteins
Functional exploration of a deep Mycobacterium tuberculosis phosphoproteome
Researchers are mapping how tuberculosis bacteria change and tag their proteins to survive and cause disease, with the goal of helping people with TB.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11249645 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This laboratory project uses engineered TB bacteria and advanced protein-mapping (mass spectrometry) to find where proteins are chemically modified. The team will turn specific bacterial kinases off and on to see how those changes ripple through gene control and bacterial behavior. They will also follow up on a new finding that arginine-tagging may mark proteins for destruction by the ClpP system. The results will point to molecular processes in TB that could be targeted by future treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This grant is lab-focused and does not recruit patients, though people with active or drug-resistant TB could be future beneficiaries of therapies developed from these findings.
Not a fit: People without tuberculosis or with non-bacterial illnesses are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify new targets for drugs that improve or shorten treatment for tuberculosis.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier proteomics work, including by this team, has shown widespread Ser/Thr/Tyr phosphorylation in M. tuberculosis, while arginine phosphorylation and its role in degradation is a newer and less-explored finding.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- Seattle Children's Hospital — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Grundner, Christoph — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Grundner, Christoph
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 below.