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Investigating the Mucin Utilization Capabilities of Akkermansia muciniphila

Award Number: F31AI179042
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2026

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Investigating the Mucin Utilization Capabilities of Akkermansia muciniphila - Akkermansia muciniphila is a commensal gut microbe that has been implicated in a multitude of human health conditions. A. muciniphila lives deeply embedded within the mucin layer, where it survives by consuming mucin as a source of carbon and nitrogen. This microbe has been shown to influence host cellular activity as well as protect against gut inflammation, obesity, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes. First isolated in an effort to discover mucin-degrading bacteria, this microbe has also been thought of as a potential probiotic. However, despite nearly two decades of study, the biological mechanisms by which it metabolizes mucin are unknown. Specialized metabolic machinery is required to degrade mammalian gastrointestinal mucin due to its complex structure. Recently, our lab has discovered several unique aspects of mucin metabolism that this proposal seeks to study further. Firstly, we have shown that A. muciniphila can accumulate mucin intracellularly, and this process is specific to mucin. Furthermore, we have pioneered a means to perform transposon (Tn) mutagenesis in A. muciniphila as well as subsequent high-throughput INSeq studies to assay the genetic determinants mucin utilization. These have shown that mucin metabolism occurs in several discrete steps: the binding to mucin extracellularly; its import into the cell through dedicated mucin transporters; and its subsequent degradation and metabolism intracellularly. I propose to identify genes required for mucin accumulation, as well as expand the knowledge of the glycoside hydrolases and mucin-binding proteins produced by A. muciniphila. While studies seem to suggest that this microbe has numerous health benefits, the knowledge of how A. muciniphila interacts with human host cells is predicated upon a deeper understanding of the fundamental biology and the mechanisms that enable it to thrive within the gastrointestinal mucin layer.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $49,538 )
2025	2025	DUKE UNIVERSITY	2200 W MAIN ST	DURHAM	NC	27705	DURHAM	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	2	1/14/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$48,974
2025	2025	DUKE UNIVERSITY	2200 W MAIN ST	DURHAM	NC	27705	DURHAM	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	2	7/28/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$564
														Subtotal = $49,538

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $48,974 )
2024	2024	DUKE UNIVERSITY	2200 W MAIN ST	DURHAM	NC	27705	DURHAM	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	002	1	5/8/2024	NEW	$1,280
2024	2024	DUKE UNIVERSITY	2200 W MAIN ST	DURHAM	NC	27705	DURHAM	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	1	1/23/2024	NEW	$0
2024	2024	DUKE UNIVERSITY	2200 W MAIN ST	DURHAM	NC	27705	DURHAM	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	1/23/2024	NEW	$47,694
														Subtotal = $48,974

Grand Total All Awards = $98,512

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Investigating the Mucin Utilization Capabilities of Akkermansia muciniphila

Award Number: F31AI179042

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2026

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