CONTROLLING THE VIRULENCE GENOME OF V. CHOLERAE

Project Summary.Vibrio cholerae is the etiological agent of the severe diarrheal disease cholera that infects hundreds ofthousands of people each year. Benign V. cholerae bacteria emerge as pandemic pathogens by horizontallyacquiring a specific set of genetic elements that encode all major V. cholerae virulence factors. We understandthe role of these acquired elements in disease, but we do not understand what uniquely allows V. cholerae toacquire and integrate control of their actions in the first place. Our objective in this proposal is to characterizethe role of the first identified Vibrio specific protein affecting the ability of V. cholerae to broadly acquire andcontrol its virulence systems. This proposal offers a major leap forward in understanding V. cholerae specificfactors that allow it to acquire, control, and maintain the genetic elements needed to transition from benignstrain to pandemic pathogen. Our results are expected to have a positive vertical impact since it will further ourunderstanding of biology that defines the potential of V. cholerae strains to become pathogenic, which will offerinsights into the selective advantage of different V. cholerae strains and suggest new paths to environmentalsurveillance, prevention, and treatment options.!!