Investigating the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary conservation of the RNA-binding protein Tex in bacterial pathogens.

A single bacterial protein, Tex, helps several dangerous pathogens survive inside human cells—and researchers want to know exactly how it works. The problem: Tex is known to be essential for virulence in *Burkholderia pseudomallei*, the bacterium that causes melioidosis, a severe tropical infection with a high death rate. Deleting the *tex* gene makes the bacteria far less able to survive and cause disease. Yet the molecular details of how Tex controls gene expression remain a black box. Without understanding those mechanisms, researchers cannot tell whether Tex is a viable target for new drugs or vaccines. This project will map Tex’s biochemical functions in *Burkholderia thailandensis* (a close, safer relative of *B. pseudomallei*) and in *Legionella pneumophila*, which causes Legionnaires’ disease. By comparing how Tex works across these two very different intracellular pathogens, the team aims to identify both shared mechanisms and species-specific adaptations. This is fundamental science. If it succeeds, it will reveal whether Tex is a conserved Achilles’ heel in multiple bacterial pathogens. That knowledge could eventually guide development of broad-spectrum treatments for infections that currently have few effective options.