Grant: Project Grant - PA: Infection and Immunity (Early Career Research Support)

Lay Abstract: The vaginal microbiome is typically dominated by a few species of lactobacilli that play an important role in preventing infections. However, in up to 30% of women, the vaginal microbiota is unbalanced and more permissive to the growth of anaerobic bacteria associated with a clinical condition known as bacterial vaginosis (BV). Women with BV are 2-3X more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections such as HIV and upper genital tract infections linked to preterm birth and cervical cancer. Microbial communities in women with BV sustain themselves by degrading host proteins to obtain nutrients, but if proteins that defend against infection are degraded, they may weaken a woman's natural immune defenses. To date, however, the enzymes carrying out protein degradation in BV and their potential to influence a woman's risk of infection are poorly defined. This project will apply advanced methods in protein profiling to broadly define the extent of protein degradation in vaginal fluid from women with and without BV. We will then define the contribution of particular BV-associated vaginal species and newly discovered enzymes to these activities. By characterizing protein degrading species known to increase risk of HIV and preterm birth, this project promises to identify new avenues of inhibiting these activities to treat BV and improve women's health.