# IRF4-dependent T-cell effector programs in governing transplant outcomes

> **NIH NIH R01** · METHODIST HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 2021 · $403,750

## Abstract

Project Summary
Solid organ transplantation is a lifesaving treatment for patients with end-stage organ failure, but long-
term allograft survival is limited by immune rejection and side effects of immunosuppressive drugs.
Allogeneic T cell responses are central to transplant outcomes (rejection versus tolerance). It is thus
essential to define the T cell effector programs that affect the transplant outcomes.
We recently discovered that interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) is a key transcriptional determinant
controlling allogenic T cell response in transplantation. IRF4 deletion in T cells results in progressive
establishment of CD4+ T cell dysfunction and long-term cardiac allograft survival. These findings have
been accepted for publication in Immunity. Herein, we hypothesized that IRF4 governs transplant
outcomes through controlling the core regulatory circuits of T cell function. Therefore, the central focus
of this proposal is to identify the IRF4 controlled regulatory circuits in alloreactive effector T cells.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10141201
- **Project number:** 5R01AI132492-04
- **Recipient organization:** METHODIST HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Wenhao Chen
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $403,750
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10141201

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10141201, IRF4-dependent T-cell effector programs in governing transplant outcomes (5R01AI132492-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10141201. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*