The candidate is completing a three year infectious disease fellowship and has devoted the last 2 years to basic science research in tuberculosis. In particular, the candidate is interested in studying gene regulation in tuberculosis to elucidate virulence genes and protein antigens which may make important drug and vaccine targets. Through the research conducted under this grant, the candidate would like to establish herself as a junior faculty member at an academic medical institution and continue to pursue tuberculosis disease pathogenesis using molecular biologic techniques. In collaboration with Dr. John Murphy, a leader in iron-dependent regulons in diphtheria, and Dr. Richard Silver, who has developed a reproducible macrophage model of tuberculosis infection, the candidate will have the collaborative resources necessary for the successful completion of this project. The sponsor, Dr. William Bishai, has well-established expertise in mycobacterial gene regulation and tuberculosis disease pathogenesis. To complement her research, the candidate will attend approximately 3 hours per week of infectious disease and TB-related conferences. She also plans to take courses in molecular biology, tuberculosis, vaccine development, and immunology in the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health and Hygiene. Fueled by antibiotic resistance and HIV infection, the global burden of tuberculosis infection is staggering. The elucidation of virulence mechanisms and protein antigens for new antimicrobials and vaccines has moved to the forefront. Iron is an essential nutrient for the survival of most organisms and has played a central role in the virulence of multiple important infectious disease pathogens. Using the corynebacterial, iron- dependent DtxR regulon as a model, the candidate will study the mycobacterial homologue, ideR and its regulon. Preliminary results have shown that an iron-independent, corynebacterial DtxR mutant hyperrepressor attenuates Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence in a murine model. A similar mutant of the mycobacterial ideR has been constructed and will be tested in vitro using a gel-shift assay, and in vivo in a murine and macrophage models. Taking advantage of the DtxR/IdeR """"""""iron box"""""""", a palindromic DNA binding sequence present in all DtxR-regulated genes, other genes of interest have been identified in silico and will be examined. Elucidation of this iron-dependent IdeR regulon may lead to the identification of virulence determinants, and novel antigens for vaccines and therapeutics.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Clinical Investigator Award (CIA) (K08)
Project #
5K08AI001689-05
Application #
6618006
Study Section
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases B Subcommittee (MID)
Program Officer
Sizemore, Christine F
Project Start
1999-08-01
Project End
2004-04-30
Budget Start
2003-05-01
Budget End
2004-04-30
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$125,685
Indirect Cost
Name
Johns Hopkins University
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
001910777
City
Baltimore
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
21218
Manabe, Yukari C; Hatem, Christine L; Kesavan, Anup K et al. (2005) Both Corynebacterium diphtheriae DtxR(E175K) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis IdeR(D177K) are dominant positive repressors of IdeR-regulated genes in M. tuberculosis. Infect Immun 73:5988-94
Scott, Cherise P; Kumar, Nirbhay; Bishai, William R et al. (2004) Short report: modulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by Plasmodium in the murine model. Am J Trop Med Hyg 70:144-8
Ando, Masaru; Manabe, Yukari C; Converse, Paul J et al. (2003) Characterization of the role of the divalent metal ion-dependent transcriptional repressor MntR in the virulence of Staphylococcus aureus. Infect Immun 71:2584-90
Manabe, Yukari C; Dannenberg Jr, Arthur M; Tyagi, Sandeep K et al. (2003) Different strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cause various spectrums of disease in the rabbit model of tuberculosis. Infect Immun 71:6004-11
Manabe, Yukari C; Scott, Cherise P; Bishai, William R (2002) Naturally attenuated, orally administered Mycobacterium microti as a tuberculosis vaccine is better than subcutaneous Mycobacterium bovis BCG. Infect Immun 70:1566-70