R01AI189798
Project Grant
Overview
Grant Description
PAIRED RECEPTOR SIGNALING FOR NK CELL VIRUS CONTROL AND ANTIVIRAL IMMUNITY - PROJECT SUMMARY. VIRAL INFECTIONS AND ENSUING DISEASES ARE A GLOBAL THREAT TO HUMAN LIFE. INTRIGUINGLY, SOME INDIVIDUALS ARE AT MUCH LOWER RISK OF VIRAL INFECTION AND LIFE-THREATENING DISEASE THAN OTHERS, WHICH IS EXPLAINED IN PART BY HOST DIVERSITY. THIS POINT IS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE CASE OF RARE INDIVIDUALS KNOWN AS `ELITE-CONTROLLERS' WHO SURVIVE HIV INFECTION LONG- TERM, EXCLUSIVE OF ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY, AND WITHOUT PROGRESSING TO AIDS. MANY HIV CONTROLLERS EXPRESS HLA- B57 AND ITS COGNATE KIR3DL1 INHIBITORY RECEPTOR WHICH LICENSES NK CELLS FOR INCREASED FUNCTIONALITY IN THESE INDIVIDUALS. THOUGH THE ROLE OF HLA-B57 AND KIR3DL1 IN ANTIVIRAL IMMUNITY REMAIN UNRESOLVED, THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT 3DL1+ NK CELLS MAY BE KEY TO LONG-TERM SURVIVAL. BY ANALOGY, THE H-2DK CLASS I MOLECULE IN MICE CONFERS RESISTANCE TO MURINE CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (MCMV) INFECTION. WE FOUND THAT LICENSED NK CELLS IN MICE BEARING THE DK-BINDING LY49G2 INHIBITORY RECEPTOR BECOME SELECTIVELY ACTIVATED AND RAPIDLY EXPAND DURING MCMV INFECTION. WE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT LY49G2 TOGETHER WITH THE LY49R ACTIVATING RECEPTOR IS REQUIRED IN NK CELL PAIRED RECEPTOR VIRUS CONTROL DURING MCMV INFECTION. RELATED BUT DISTINCT DK-BINDING LY49 INHIBITORY RECEPTORS HOWEVER FAIL TO PROMOTE SIMILAR VIRUS CONTROL. THE BASIS FOR LY49 PAIRED RECEPTOR VIRUS CONTROL IS UNKNOWN. A BROAD, LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE FOR THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO INVESTIGATE HOW NK RECEPTOR POLYMORPHISM AFFECTS ANTIVIRAL IMMUNITY AND TO DELINEATE THE BASIS OF PAIRED RECEPTOR VIRUS CONTROL. AIM 1 STUDIES THE MOLECULAR BASIS FOR PAIRED RECEPTOR SIGNALING IN ANTIVIRAL NK CELLS DURING MCMV INFECTION. SCCITESEQ AND MASS SPECTROSCOPIC (MS) PROTEOME SEQUENCING WILL BE USED TO IDENTIFY NK CELL PAIRED RECEPTOR SIGNALING PATHWAYS FOR VIRUS CONTROL. KEY HITS ASSOCIATED WITH PAIRED RECEPTOR SIGNALING VARIATIONS IN NK CELLS LACKING ONE OR BOTH LY49 RECEPTORS WILL BE TESTED IN PATHWAY VALIDATION STUDIES, AND WITH TRANSGENIC APPROACHES DESIGNED TO TEST HOW NK-SPECIFIC TRANSGENIC EXPRESSION OF LY49 RECEPTORS OR ABLATION OF SIGNALING ADAPTORS IN TRANSGENIC PRIMARY NK CELLS AFFECTS MCMV SUSCEPTIBILITY UPON TRANSFER TO LY49G2-DEFICIENT MICE. AIM 2 INVESTIGATES THE EFFECT OF POLYMORPHISM ON NK PAIRED RECEPTOR SIGNALING FOR MCMV CONTROL. A HYBRID MODEL WILL BE DEVELOPED TO INVESTIGATE HOW POLYMORPHISM AFFECTS PAIRED RECEPTOR VIRUS CONTROL. BOTH NK CELL LICENSING AND RECEPTOR–LIGAND BINDING ASSAYS WILL BE USED TO DELINEATE HOW LY49 POLYMORPHISM AFFECTS NK EFFECTOR ACTIVITY AND THE POTENTIAL TO MEDIATE PAIRED RECEPTOR RESPONSES DURING MCMV INFECTION. SCCITESEQ AND MS PROTEOME SEQUENCING WILL BE FURTHER USED TO IDENTIFY PERTURBATIONS IN PAIRED RECEPTOR SIGNALING PATHWAYS COINCIDING WITH LY49 POLYMORPHISM. AIM 3 TESTS IF POLYMORPHIC HUMAN NK RECEPTORS MEDIATE PAIRED RECEPTOR-LIKE RESPONSES UPON STIMULATION OR EXPOSURE TO HIV- INFECTED CD4 T CELLS. HUMAN NK CELLS WITH DEFINED KIR–HLA TYPES COINCIDING WITH THE POTENTIAL TO MEDIATE HIV CONTROL WILL BE IDENTIFIED FROM A PRE-EXISTING COHORT OF 1200 SUBJECTS. HLA-B57+ NK CELLS EXPRESSING BOTH 3DL1 AND 3DS1 KIRS WILL BE TESTED FOR FUNCTIONAL LICENSING AND PAIRED RECEPTOR-LIKE RESPONSES UPON EXPOSURE TO HIV- INFECTED CD4 T CELL TARGETS IN COMPARISON TO DONOR NK CELLS EXPRESSING ONLY 3DL1 OR 3DS1 KIRS.
Funding Goals
TO ASSIST PUBLIC AND PRIVATE NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO ESTABLISH, EXPAND AND IMPROVE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND RELATED AREAS, TO CONDUCT DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH, TO PRODUCE AND TEST RESEARCH MATERIALS. TO ASSIST PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO CONDUCT DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH, TO PRODUCE AND TEST RESEARCH MATERIALS, TO PROVIDE RESEARCH SERVICES AS REQUIRED BY THE AGENCY FOR PROGRAMS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES, AND CONTROLLING DISEASE CAUSED BY INFECTIOUS OR PARASITIC AGENTS, ALLERGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES AND RELATED AREAS. PROJECTS RANGE FROM STUDIES OF MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND ANTIGENIC STRUCTURE TO COLLABORATIVE TRIALS OF EXPERIMENTAL DRUGS AND VACCINES, MECHANISMS OF RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS AS WELL AS RESEARCH DEALING WITH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS OR COMMUNITY POPULATIONS AND PROGRESS IN ALLERGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES. BECAUSE OF THIS DUAL FOCUS, THE PROGRAM ENCOMPASSES BOTH BASIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL RESEARCH. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM EXPANDS AND IMPROVES PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. THE SBIR PROGRAM INTENDS TO INCREASE AND FACILITATE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. THE SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM STIMULATES AND FOSTERS SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. RESEARCH CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTISTS DURING THE FORMATIVE STAGES OF THEIR CAREERS. INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS (NRSAS) ARE MADE DIRECTLY TO APPROVE APPLICANTS FOR RESEARCH TRAINING IN SPECIFIED BIOMEDICAL SHORTAGE AREAS. IN ADDITION, INSTITUTIONAL NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS ARE MADE TO ENABLE INSTITUTIONS TO SELECT AND MAKE AWARDS TO INDIVIDUALS TO RECEIVE TRAINING UNDER THE AEGIS OF THEIR INSTITUTIONAL PROGRAM.
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding / Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Virginia
United States
Geographic Scope
State-Wide
Related Opportunity
Rector & Visitors Of The University Of Virginia was awarded
Paired Receptor Signaling for Enhanced Antiviral Immunity
Project Grant R01AI189798
worth $3,047,991
from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in September 2025 with work to be completed primarily in Virginia United States.
The grant
has a duration of 4 years and
was awarded through assistance program 93.855 Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research.
The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed).
Status
(Ongoing)
Last Modified 9/24/25
Period of Performance
9/12/25
Start Date
8/31/29
End Date
Funding Split
$3.0M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$3.0M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
R01AI189798
SAI Number
R01AI189798-601543312
Award ID URI
SAI UNAVAILABLE
Awardee Classifications
Public/State Controlled Institution Of Higher Education
Awarding Office
75NM00 NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Funding Office
75NM00 NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Awardee UEI
JJG6HU8PA4S5
Awardee CAGE
9B982
Performance District
VA-90
Senators
Mark Warner
Timothy Kaine
Timothy Kaine
Modified: 9/24/25