# THE GENETICS AND BIOCHEMISTRY OF PLASMID TRANSFER

> **NIH NIH R01** · TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCE CTR · 1987 · $159,815

## Abstract

Virulence factors and antibiotic resistance determinants are distributed
among Gram-negative bacteria by conjugative plasmids.  All such plasmids
express pili, filamentous structures which are essential for establishing
the contact between donor and recipient cells necessary for DNA transfer.
In the F conjugative system, more than fourteen genes in the F transfer
operon appear to be involved in the synthesis and expression of F-pili.
Many of these products have not been identified, and their molecular role
is not yet understood.  Recently we have shown that synthesis of F-pilus
subunits requires the processing of F-traA product to F-pilin.  The
processing reaction requires an activity from a previously unidentified
transfer operon gene (traQ), and may require additional unidentified
activities as well.  We plan to identify the genes and gene products
involved in F-pilin subunit synthesis, and investigate the nature of the
biochemical reactions which occur in this pathway.  We also plan, with
transducing phages and chimeric plasmid derivitives, to identify all of the
genes and gene products which are involved in the assembly of F-pilin
subunits, and to investigate their interactions with each other and with
F-pilin during the assembly process.  The studies proposed are expected to
contribute to our understanding of pilus synthesis and expression, and to
elucidate the role of pilus assembly and retraction in conjugation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3125745
- **Project number:** 5R01AI014426-11
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCE CTR
- **SAM.gov UEI:** HFT7XTHB6563
- **Principal Investigator:** KARIN A IPPEN-IHLER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $159,815
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1978-09-01 → 1988-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3125745

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3125745, THE GENETICS AND BIOCHEMISTRY OF PLASMID TRANSFER (5R01AI014426-11). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3125745. Licensed CC0.

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