Award
National Institute of General Medical Sciences 1R35GM166110-01
Exploring RNA Polymerase Dynamics and Regulatory Architecture Across Divergent Bacterial Species
Recipient
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Award Amount
$456,500.00
Ceiling
$456,500.00
Awarded
July 14, 2026
Identifier
1R35GM166110-01
The award funds research on bacterial transcription mechanisms focusing on RNA polymerase dynamics across different bacterial species to develop species-specific inhibitors with applications in antimicrobial research and synthetic biology.
Description
This project aims to study how the mechanisms of transcription and its regulation differ across bacterial species and to exploit these differences for species-specific RNA polymerase (RNAP) inhibitors as research tools and antimicrobial leads. The research uses a sequencing platform to map RNAP pause and termination sites, combining cryo-EM, biochemical assays, deep learning, and bacterial genetics to investigate RNAP pausing and termination across phylogenetically distant bacteria. The goal is to uncover principles of transcription, identify antibiotic development opportunities, and inform synthetic biology applications.