# The role of cell surface RNAs in neutrophils

> **NIH NIH R01** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $703,770

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 In mammalian cells, RNAs are predominantly located within the cytoplasm and nucleus. A recent study,
however, has found that RNAs can be glycosylated, and a fraction of such glycosylated RNAs (referred to as
glycoRNAs) are located on the outer cell surface. As outer cell surface represents a different topological space
compared to cytoplasm and nucleus, these exciting findings raise important questions on the functions of cell
surface RNAs, their precise chemical nature, their mechanisms of action, and mechanisms of their presence on
the cell surface, all of which are not known. This proposal focuses on neutrophils, an important hematopoietic
cell type that play important innate immune functions and are often the first responders toward inflammation and
tissue damage. While the circulation half-lives of neutrophils are relatively short, neutrophils can migrate from
circulation into tissues, a process that involves complex interactions with the endothelial cell layer lining the blood
vessels. Glycan-binding lectins and integrins are known players in neutrophil-endothelium interactions, but the
whole process remains incompletely understood. Based on our preliminary data, we propose the existence of
glycoRNAs on neutrophil cell surface and aim to test that neutrophil cell surface RNAs mediate important
functions of neutrophils including their interaction with endothelial cells. With a team of investigators of
complimentary expertise, we will achieve these goals through four specific aims to decipher the molecular nature,
functions, and mechanisms of neutrophil cell surface RNAs. Successful execution of our proposed project will
add a new dimension to the regulation of neutrophil functions by studying a new class of RNA-containing
regulators. The proposed experiments will also address key questions regarding glycoRNAs. As the field of cell
surface RNA/glycoRNA is at its infancy, there are many exciting questions that cannot be explored in this single
proposal, but findings from this proposal could stimulate both future explorations and the community toward
better understanding of glycoRNAs in neutrophils and in other diverse biological settings.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10826834
- **Project number:** 1R01AI181308-01
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jun Lu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $703,770
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-11-13 → 2028-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10826834

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10826834, The role of cell surface RNAs in neutrophils (1R01AI181308-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10826834. Licensed CC0.

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