Research Initiation Award: Targeting Pyocyanin Production to Study Virulence Gene Regulation in Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

历史上的黑人学院和大学本科课程（HBCU-UP）通过研究启动奖为历史上的黑人学院和大学的初级和中级职业教师提供支持，他们正在建立新的研究项目或重新定向和重建现有的研究项目。预计该奖项将有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，并改善家庭机构的研究和教学。这个奖项给费耶特维尔州立大学支持教师和本科生的研究经验，调查基因表达的分子机制。具体而言，该项目旨在研究绿脓杆菌（毒力因子）生产的调控途径。绿脓杆菌是一种革兰氏阴性的条件致病菌，广泛存在于自然界中，从土壤到飞机燃料，其生长过程中的代谢产物是一种重要的代谢产物。由于铜绿假单胞菌生存、适应和抗生素耐药性所必需的机制范围广泛，因此需要更好地理解和探索这些调控途径并阐明其分子基础。本计画以绿脓菌素生产为目标，研究毒力基因调控，并发现新的调控途径。具体而言，本项目旨在：1）表征环境因素在绿脓菌素调控中的作用，2）确定各种转录因子和小分子如何影响绿脓菌素调控，3）探索绿脓菌素的调控途径是否可以应用于铜绿假单胞菌的其他毒力因子。这项研究将促进我们对绿脓菌素调控的理解，并有可能作为了解其他毒力因子如何调控的路线图。从这项工作产生的数据将有助于未来的实验探索绿脓菌素和其他毒力基因的调控铜绿假单胞菌。最终，本研究项目的实施将围绕教学和培训本科生的假设驱动的研究经验。学生将培养实验设计、批判性阅读和理解初级文献的技能，加强他们为研究生院和/或STEM劳动力的准备。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Research Initiation Awards provide support for junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness and improve research and teaching at the home institution. This award to Fayetteville State University supports faculty and undergraduate research experiences investigating the molecular mechanisms of gene expression. Specifically, the project seeks to examine the regulatory pathways of pyocyanin (virulence factor) production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Pyocyanin is highly regulated, extracellularly secreted, and easily quantifiable, making it an ideal target for studying gene regulation.P. aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic bacterium that is ubiquitous in nature, ranging from soil to jet fuel. Due to the vast range of mechanisms necessary for P. aeruginosa survival, adaption, and antibiotic resistance, there is a need to better understand and explore these regulatory pathways and elucidate the molecular underpinnings. This project targets pyocyanin production to study virulence gene regulation and discover novel regulatory pathways. Specifically, this project aims to: 1) characterize the role that environmental factors play in pyocyanin regulation, 2) determine how various transcription factors and small molecules affect pyocyanin regulation, and 3) explore if the regulatory pathways of pyocyanin can be applied to other virulence factors in P. aeruginosa. This study will advance our understanding of pyocyanin regulation and has the potential to serve as a roadmap for understanding how other virulence factors are regulated. The data generated from this work will aid future experimental exploration of pyocyanin and the regulation of other virulence genes in P. aeruginosa. Ultimately, the implementation of this research project will be centered around teaching and training undergraduate students in hypothesis-driven research experiences. Students will develop skills in experimental design, critical reading, and understanding primary literature, enhancing their preparation for graduate school and/or the STEM workforce.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.