Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of Illinois a Project Grant totaling $186,711 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to conduct investigator-initiated basic science research on polyamine biosynthesis regulation in Salmonella typhimurium. The research, performed at the University of Illinois location in Urbana, Illinois, and scheduled for completion by March 31, 2028, focuses on understanding how bacterial cells coordinately control polyamine and magnesium concentrations during infection and stress responses. The project directly addresses fundamental mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis, as Salmonella typhimurium is a major food-borne pathogen that must adapt to the low-magnesium environment within macrophage phagosomes for successful intracellular replication and virulence.

The grant supports basic research activities designed to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms governing polyamine synthesis and export in bacteria, with specific emphasis on the role of the PhoP signal transduction system. Deliverables include scientific findings that advance understanding of how polyamines function as physiological substitutes for magnesium under nutrient stress conditions, research data characterizing polyamine mutant phenotypes, and mechanistic insights into coordinated control of polyamine and magnesium homeostasis during bacterial infection. The University of Illinois, as an established research institution with extensive federal grant experience, leverages its expertise in bacterial genetics and gene expression analysis to address these fundamental questions critical to infectious disease biology and pathogen virulence mechanisms.