Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Maryland, College Park received a $381,240 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), awarded June 1, 2026, with completion scheduled for February 28, 2031. This grant supports fundamental research investigating the mechanisms of processive antitermination in gram-positive bacteria, specifically examining how transcription-translation coupling processes differ between Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. The research addresses a significant gap in understanding bacterial gene expression, as current molecular models derived from E. coli may not accurately represent the biological processes occurring in gram-positive bacteria, particularly for noncoding operons producing ribosomal RNAs and CRISPR RNAs.

The research deliverables will advance basic scientific knowledge of bacterial transcription and translation mechanisms by characterizing how transcription elongation complexes function in gram-positive organisms and how antitermination complexes are formed and regulated differently across bacterial species. This fundamental research contributes to NIGMS's mission to support basic biomedical research that establishes the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention by enhancing understanding of core biological processes that underpin bacterial physiology and potential therapeutic targets.