Project Details
Projekt
How a commensal bacterium of the genus Desulfovibrio finds its niche in the gut and how this process can be stopped
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Kirsten Jung
Subject Area
Metabolism, Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 564156640
The healthy human gut contains a small number of sulfate-reducing bacteria of the genus Desulfovibrio. These bacteria gain energy by respiration and transfer electrons to sulfate as an electron acceptor, which leads to the production of toxic hydrogen sulfide. For thus far unknown reasons, there is a massive proliferation of Desulfovibrio bacteria in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, bacteremia, Parkinson’s disease or autism. Despite the importance of Desulfovibrio spp. little is known how these bacteria find a niche for colonization. We hypothesize that motile Desulfovibrio spp. uses chemotaxis to swim along chemical gradients into the deep layers of the mucus. This project aims to identify the key players in the perception and chemotactic response of Desulfovibro desulfuricans. We aim to elucidate the function of the 19 chemoreceptors that will be used as targets to inhibit the directed movement of this bacterium in niches and thereby prevent unhindered proliferation. To achieve this goal, we will (1) develop innovative genetic engineering tools for D. desulfuricans using CRISPR-associated transposase and allele-coupled exchange in combination with counter selection to generate deletion mutants, (2) study the chemotactic capabilities of D. desulfuricans by a combination of motility assays for wild type and mutants and biochemical protein-ligand binding assays, and (3) translate our findings into strategies to disturb chemotaxis, including tracking of D. desulfuricans in 2D organoids in the presence of dietary supplements and probiotic bacteria as well as target-specific in situ gene editing in microbial communities. The results of the project will not only contribute to a better understanding of the physiology of the intestinal commensals Desulfovibrio spp., which under certain conditions harm the host, but also open up a novel antimicrobial approach to restore a healthy human intestinal microbiota.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
