# Neuronal and molecular mechanisms underlying neural regulation of innate immunity

> **NIH NIH R35** · WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $420,750

## Abstract

Project Summary
Although the integration of neurobiology into immunological research has just begun, it has already profoundly
improved our understanding of immunology. By using the Caenorhabditis elegans model system, we have
identified three specific neuro-immune regulatory circuits that are mediated by the G protein-coupled receptors
OCTR-1, NPR-8, and NMUR-1, respectively. Our studies and others indicate that there could be a
predetermined setpoint for internal immunity, like the setpoint for the human heart rate, and that the nervous
system regulates immune responses to internal or external environmental changes and restores immune
homeostasis by bringing immunity back to the setpoint. Considering this “setpoint for immune homeostasis”
theory, we plan to investigate how the nervous system and immune system interact to achieve the resolution of
infection and the specificity of innate immunity, two important but poorly understood issues in immunology.
Previously, we have characterized the OCTR-1-dependent neuro-immune regulatory circuit in great detail and
have revealed that NMUR-1 mediates the specificity of C. elegans innate immunity. Here, we propose studies
to dissect the molecular and neuronal mechanisms underlying neural regulation of resolution in the context of
the OCTR-1 circuit and to identify specific neurons, neural networks, and neural signals that regulate NMUR-1-
mediated specificity of innate immunity. These studies will advance our understanding of how the nervous
system controls both infection resolution and innate immune specificity as well as define key regulatory
principles that govern neuro-immune relationships. Results from these studies could benefit the development
of new treatments for infectious diseases and innate immune disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10405389
- **Project number:** 2R35GM124678-06
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jingru Sun
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $420,750
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2017-09-12 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10405389

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10405389, Neuronal and molecular mechanisms underlying neural regulation of innate immunity (2R35GM124678-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10405389. Licensed CC0.

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