# Non-coding RNA regulation of cholesterol homeostasis and atherosclerosis

> **NIH NIH R35** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $1,012,830

## Abstract

SUMMARY
In humans, the number of annotated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) is almost three times that of protein
coding transcripts, yet fewer than 50 of these have been functionally characterized. A major challenge in all
fields of biology is to investigate how these mysterious RNAs regulate gene expression and biological
pathways, and to integrate the results of these findings into current paradigms. The field of lipoprotein
metabolism and atherosclerosis has lagged behind in these efforts. We are attempting to bridge this
conceptual gap by investigating the role of lncRNA in regulating cholesterol metabolism and atherogenesis. To
date, the functions of lncRNAs have proven difficult to dissect, in part because unlike microRNAs, lncRNAs
lack unifying features (other than length), and they can form numerous types of interactions, including RNA-
RNA, RNA-DNA or RNA-protein. As such, each lncRNA studied presents new and unique challenges that
require the flexibility to change course or pursue new directions as they arise. This project is thus ideal for
support by the NHLBI's Outstanding Investigator Award Program. As described in this application, we have
recently discovered primate-specific lncRNAs that regulate cholesterol efflux, HDL biogenesis and
inflammatory signaling, and we are further characterizing their function. Our exciting findings illustrate the
tremendous potential for discovery in this area. Notably, these primate-specific lncRNAs are not conserved in
other mammals, highlighting the importance of further studies of human lncRNAs and their functions. We are
now pursuing other novel lncRNAs and micropeptides that function in human cardiovascular health and
disease, studies that will lead to better understanding of the molecular regulation of cholesterol homeostasis
and atherosclerosis, as well as the identification of novel prognostic/diagnostic approaches and therapeutic
targets.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9872200
- **Project number:** 5R35HL135799-04
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** KATHRYN J MOORE
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,012,830
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-03-01 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9872200

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9872200, Non-coding RNA regulation of cholesterol homeostasis and atherosclerosis (5R35HL135799-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9872200. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*