# Plasma Cell Regulation by Purinergic Receptors

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $243,750

## Abstract

Project summary
Plasma cells that secrete antibodies against self-antigens pose a considerable threat to
human health. Moreover, because many plasma cells are exceptionally long-lived,
strategies are needed to deplete long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs) that secrete pathogenic
antibodies. This project centers on the hypothesis that LLPCs in bone marrow generate
requisite survival signals by sensing extracellular ATP with specific members of the
purinergic receptor (P2rX) family. Hence, we propose that compounds that selectively
poison relevant purinergic receptors will deplete LLPCs. To test our hypothesis, we will:
1) Establish the impact of P2rX inhibitors on LLPC generation and maintenance, and 2)
Determine the role of the purinergic receptor P2rX4 in early plasma cell induction and
LLPC maintenance. These studies will provide unique and needed insights into the
specialized survival mechanisms employed by LLPCs. This work supports our long-term
objective of developing strategies to effectively and specifically disable or deplete
problematic plasma cells.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10240081
- **Project number:** 1R21AI161931-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** David M Allman
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $243,750
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10240081

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10240081, Plasma Cell Regulation by Purinergic Receptors (1R21AI161931-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10240081. Licensed CC0.

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