Project Grant R35GM164085

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded the University of Missouri System $364,623 on August 1, 2026, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to support research dissecting the regulatory networks involved in elongation, division, and cell wall homeostasis in polarly growing bacteria.

The project uses Agrobacterium tumefaciens as a model organism to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying polar growth and to understand the genetic determinants that govern polar cell-wall peptidoglycan biogenesis in coordination with the cell cycle and in response to dynamic environmental conditions. The research will systematically dissect the regulatory mechanisms that enable spatiotemporal coordination of peptidoglycan synthetic complexes with cell cycle progression and will explore how polarly growing bacteria respond to cell wall stress to maintain peptidoglycan homeostasis in harsh environments such as during host invasion.

Work is performed in Columbia, Missouri. The period of performance runs from August 1, 2026, through April 30, 2031. The University of Missouri System, operating as the Curators of the University of Missouri, is the recipient. This is a Project Grant assistance type supporting basic research that increases understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.