Project description
‘Untethering’ Gram-positive Enterococci bacteria to prevent virulence
Hospital-acquired infections caused by Gram-positive Enterococci bacteria pose a serious and growing clinical threat, driven by their ability to adhere to host cells, form protective biofilms and rapidly share antimicrobial resistance genes with neighbouring bacteria. Key to these processes are cell surface-anchored adhesion proteins (adhesins). One such adhesin is PrgB, which anchors bacteria to host tissues, stabilises cell-to-cell contact during resistance gene transfer and promotes biofilm development. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the STAVE OFF project aims to identify the human PrgB receptors and resolve their binding interaction at atomic resolution, providing a molecular blueprint for developing new strategies to disarm these dangerous pathogens.
Objective
Gram-positive Enterococci account for a significant fraction of hospital-acquired infections but are often difficult to treat due to their proficiency in colonizing damaged host tissues, forming biofilms, and acquiring and spreading antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These AMR genes and additional virulence factors are often disseminated among the bacterial population via conjugation, the horizontal transfer of mobile genetic elements between cells in physical contact. Type 4 Secretion Systems (T4SSs) facilitate conjugation, and a key feature of many Gram-positive T4SSs are cell surface-anchored adhesion proteins. Adhesins not only stabilize mating pair junctions during conjugation but also promote biofilm formation and adherence to host cells during infection, making them a major factor in why hospital-acquired Gram-positive infections are so difficult to treat. One such adhesin is PrgB, which is encoded on the conjugative pCF10 plasmid from Enterococci faecalis. The Berntsson lab has previously characterized a subset of PrgB binding partners involved in biofilm formation, but the features of PrgB-host interactions required for infiltration and colonization remain unknown. In this proposed research, I aim to identify host-derived receptors that interact with PrgB, quantify the thermodynamic parameters of binding, and structurally resolve important binding interfaces. The resulting molecular details will explain how these adhesins confer virulence by promoting pathogenic colonization of host tissues, stabilizing mating pairs during conjugation, and initiating biofilm formation. This information will be important to the development of new strategies to mitigate the virulence of pathogenic Enterococci and Gram-positive bacteria more broadly.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences physical sciences thermodynamics
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug resistance antibiotic resistance
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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.
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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
901 87 UMEA
Sweden
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.