# Enterovirus Infection of Polarized Intestinal Cells

> **NIH NIH R01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $389,902

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT:
The overarching goal of this application is to identify novel mechanisms by which enteroviruses infect the human
intestinal epithelium. The events associated with enterovirus infections of the human intestinal epithelium remain
largely unknown, largely due to the lack of suitable in vivo models that recapitulate the enteral route of infection
in an immunocompetent setting and the inability of standard cultured cells to recapitulate the multicellular nature
of the GI epithelium. Using two parallel three-dimensional (3-D) cell models of the human intestinal epithelium
recently developed in our laboratory, including a primary stem cell-based model, we have identified several
unique mechanisms used by enteroviruses to infect the GI epithelium. The studies proposed in this application
will provide important insights into (1) the role of non-lytic release in the enterovirus life cycle in the human
intestinal epithelium, (2) the impact of enterovirus infections on intestinal epithelial structure and function, and
(3) the role of epithelial host interferon signaling in the control of enteroviral infections. These goals are premised
on the central hypothesis that intestinal cell-associated pathways directly impact enterovirus pathogenesis in the
human GI tract. Our proposal pioneers research into a variety of aspects of the molecular mechanisms of
enterovirus-GI cell interactions. Notably, our research will also illuminate virus specific-pathogenic pathways,
which may explain why some enteroviruses are relatively well-tolerated, and others cause severe disease. Given
our extensive expertise in enterovirus research, specifically studies related to the GI tract, we are uniquely
positioned to perform these studies, which will provide new paradigms for our understanding of enterovirus
infections of the GI epithelium.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10839844
- **Project number:** 5R01AI081759-14
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Carolyn B Coyne
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $389,902
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10839844

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10839844, Enterovirus Infection of Polarized Intestinal Cells (5R01AI081759-14). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10839844. Licensed CC0.

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