Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

The molecular mechanism of E. coli FimH pathogenicity

Objective

Pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli are responsible for a large variety of diseases, including persistent urinary tract and intestinal infections. Their adhesion to the host cell wall is promoted by the binding of FimH located at the tip of the bacterial fimbriae to highly mannosylated cell surface receptors. To resist human defences such as the urinary flow, bacterial adhesion is enhanced under shear force. The shear-force dependence and thus also the pathogenicity of different E. coli strains has been shown to depend on natural sequential variation of the FimH protein. Also probiotic E. coli strains have been shown to attach to host cells, which raises the question as to why these bacteria evoke a beneficial effect upon their host.
The FimH-Mech project intends to decipher the molecular mechanism that determines the pathogenicity of different E. coli strains, by investigating the shear-force dependence of FimH and FimH variants and by modelling the complex formation with one of its targets receptors, namely CEACAM6. The results of these investigations will allow me to establish the molecular difference between a pathogenic and probiotic FimH adhesin. I will use a large variety of state-of-the-art computational and theoretical techniques, such as molecular modelling, quantum mechanics, docking and two-state kinetic models. These techniques will be enriched by but also feed into experimental essays to be performed in the host institute. The thus gained understanding of the molecular action of bacterial adhesins will allow for the development of more efficient inhibitors. This constitutes a promising and important milestone in the design of new non-antibiotic drugs against harmful adhesive bacteria.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2016

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 185 076,00
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 185 076,00
My booklet 0 0