# A novel regulator of dendritic cell differentiation

> **NIH NIH R21** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $254,250

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Dendritic cells (DCs) are key sentinel cells of the immune system that detect pathogens through pattern
recognition receptors and orchestrate innate and adaptive immune responses. Conventional DCs (cDCs)
efficiently present antigen to T lymphocytes, whereas plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) specialize in virus-induced
production of type I interferon. All DCs and their progenitors express the tyrosine kinase receptor Flt3, and
its cytokine ligand Flt3L is necessary and sufficient for DC development. However, relatively little is known
about the signaling pathways and molecules that regulate DC differentiation downstream of Flt3L. To
dissect the molecular basis of DC differentiation, we implemented an unbiased forward genetics approach
utilizing CRISPR/Cas9-based mutagenesis. In addition to known regulators, this approach yielded
components of a protein complex that is enriched in DCs but has not been previously implicated in DC
differentiation. The proposed project will explore the potential role of this complex in DC differentiation in
vitro and in experimental animals (Aim 1) as well as the mechanism of its activity in DCs (Aim 2). If
successful, these studies would provide novel insights into the molecular underpinnings of the DC
differentiation, including lineage-specific signaling pathways that could be amenable to therapeutic
targeting.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10071856
- **Project number:** 1R21AI154864-01
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Boris Reizis
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $254,250
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-06-11 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10071856

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10071856, A novel regulator of dendritic cell differentiation (1R21AI154864-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10071856. Licensed CC0.

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