# Investigating Helios as a regulator of natural killer cell effector maturation

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2024 · $238,576

## Abstract

Project Summary
NK cells play essential roles in the immune response to intracellular pathogens, including
viruses and bacteria, and form an important defense against malignant transformation and
metastasis. In this R21 application, we propose experiments to test the hypotheses that the
transcription factor Helios is a central regulator of undifferentiated NK cells, supporting their self-
rewak and limiting effector maturation. We present evidence that Helios is expressed in the
most undifferentiated of mature NK cells and up-regulated in Ets1-deficient NK cells, which fail
to mature appropriately and have multiple defects in NK cell receptor expression and function.
We will create mice lacking Helios, or Ets1 and Helios, in NK cells to determine whether these
cells show premature effector maturation and altered response to cytokines, tumor cells
(melanoma) or virus (mouse cytomegalovirus). Our studies will provide a foundation for
understand the mechanisms underlying NK cell self-renewal effector maturation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10792900
- **Project number:** 5R21AI174641-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** BARBARA L. KEE
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $238,576
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-02-21 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10792900

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10792900, Investigating Helios as a regulator of natural killer cell effector maturation (5R21AI174641-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10792900. Licensed CC0.

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