# Elucidating the regulation and function of IL-17D using reporter mice

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2020 · $236,250

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Cytokine reporter mice have been used to detect the in situ expression of cytokines via the coordinated
expression of a reporter gene, such as a fluorescent protein, whenever the cytokine is transcribed. These
reagents have led to critical advances in our understanding of cytokine regulation and physiology. This grant
proposal focuses on the cytokine Interleukin 17D (IL-17D) based on our studies demonstrating that IL-17D is
required for optimal anti-tumor, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial responses. In addition, IL-17D protects for age-
associated dermatitis that could result of increased basophil activity. To better understand the physiologic role
of IL-17D, it is critical to characterize its expression pattern in vivo. Although IL-17D expression can be detected
by transcript in various tissues, this expression pattern cannot be easily confirmed using antibody-based
approaches since the current antibodies to IL-17D also stain tissues in IL-17D-deficient animals. Therefore, we
propose to further elucidate how IL-17D mediates its plethora of activities by generating IL-17D reporter animals
via a CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-based procedure using already
validated constructs. In Aim 1, we will characterize these reporter animals at steady state and document the
cellular and tissue expression of IL-17D using a combination of flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and single
cell RNA sequencing. These techniques will be optimized and further applied to Aim 2, where we begin to dissect
IL-17D expression in mice challenged with viruses, bacteria, or allergen. Having already generated reporter cell
lines using CRISPR, we propose in Aim 3 to identify key regulators of IL-17D by screening compounds in vitro
on the reporter cell lines and validating these findings in vivo using reporter animals. Altogether, the proposed
studies will provide necessary inroads for future studies dissecting the physiologic role of IL-17D in health and
immunity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9875121
- **Project number:** 1R21AI149023-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Jack D Bui
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $236,250
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-05 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9875121

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9875121, Elucidating the regulation and function of IL-17D using reporter mice (1R21AI149023-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9875121. Licensed CC0.

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