Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Peptidoglycan modification activating NOD2 in N. gonorrhoeae infections

Award Number: R21AI198410
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/09/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2028

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Peptidoglycan modification activating NOD2 in N. gonorrhoeae infections - PROJECT SUMMARY When Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes pelvic inflammatory disease, it releases large amounts of peptidoglycan fragments, inducing a damaging inflammatory response. As a result, the ciliated cells of the Fallopian tube are killed and slough from the epithelium, making it nearly impossible to move an egg down the oviduct and greatly increasing the probability of ectopic pregnancy. The inflammation also results in adnexal adhesions attaching the Fallopian tube to other parts of the anatomy, and when the patient moves, these adhesions can tear, causing chronic pelvic pain. N. gonorrhoeae generates small peptidoglycan fragments as the bacteria grow and divide and the cell wall is expanded or reshaped. We discovered that all N. gonorrhoeae have a defective form of the peptidoglycan fragment permease, AmpG, causing them to have decreased peptidoglycan uptake for recycling and increased peptidoglycan fragment release. We have identified the enzymes that gonococci use to liberate peptidoglycan fragments from the cell wall and one that creates the fragments that stimulate the pattern recognition receptor NOD1. We recently found that gonococci also produce a NOD2 agonist peptidoglycan fragment similar to muramyl dipeptide. Production of this NOD2 agonist would not only affect the inflammatory response in Fallopian tubes, but it would also affect neutrophils that come to the site of infection and damage tissue. To understand the importance of these peptidoglycan fragments in inflammation and tissue damage and to understand the mechanisms involved, we are using gonococcal mutants deficient in expression of the D,L-endopeptidase NlpC. We will examine the biochemical function of NlpC and its effects on released peptidoglycan fragments and the peptidoglycan in the cell wall. We will determine where NlpC acts in the cell and what other peptidoglycan-related proteins it interacts with. We will use organ cultures of Fallopian tube or cervix, or cell culture of male urethral cells to examine the effects of the NOD2 agonist peptidoglycan fragments on cytokine and chemokine responses in infection or tissue damage in response to the released peptidoglycan. Overall, these studies will identify the mechanisms involved in eliciting the NOD2 response in gonococcal infections and determine the consequences for reproductive tissue due to the inflammatory response.


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: 2026 ( Subtotal = $233,250 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM	21 N PARK ST STE 6301	MADISON	WI	53715	DANE	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	6/9/2026	NEW	$233,250
														Subtotal = $233,250

Grand Total All Awards = $233,250

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Peptidoglycan modification activating NOD2 in N. gonorrhoeae infections

Award Number: R21AI198410

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/09/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2028

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer