# Allergic inflammation and Transcriptional Regulation in Th9 cells

> **NIH NIH R01** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2021 · $563,908

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY – Regulation of Allergic inflammation by IL-9-secreting T cells
Interleukin-9 (IL-9) is a pleuripotent cytokine that leads to altered gene expression and cellular function in
hematopoietic and structural cell populations. IL-9 is most efficiently produced by innate lymphoid cells, and a
specialized subset of T helper cells termed Th9 cells. Importantly, IL-9 has a role, in both humans and mouse
models, in asthma, food allergy, ulcerative colitis, and anti-tumor immunity. In the previous funding period of
this grant we have made considerable progress in understanding the regulation of the Il9 gene and the
transcription factors that are involved in controlling Il9 gene expression. As we defined systems for best
analyzing IL-9-secreting T cells in vivo, we observed that in a model of chronic allergen exposure, IL-9-
producing CD4+ T cells were in the tissue resident memory (Trm) population. We further observed that the IL-
9-secreting Trm population was stable in the absence of allergen exposure and was instrumental in mediating
the inflammatory response to allergen challenge after a period of ‘rest’ from allergen exposure. Blocking IL-9
during this post-rest challenge significantly diminished the inflammatory response. In this renewal application,
we will define the identity of the IL-9-secreting T cells, determine the transcription factors that are required for
their development, and identify the cytokines that are important for their development, maintenance, and
effector function. As the CD4+ Trm population in allergic inflammation has not been characterized and this
population is likely important in the context of intermittent allergen exposure as occurs in seasonal allergies,
the proposed studies could have a foundational impact on understanding how CD4+ Trm impact allergic
disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10145335
- **Project number:** 2R01AI057459-15A1
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** MARK H KAPLAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $563,908
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2005-03-15 → 2025-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10145335

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10145335, Allergic inflammation and Transcriptional Regulation in Th9 cells (2R01AI057459-15A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10145335. Licensed CC0.

---

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