# The Role of LncRNAs in Pulmonary Fibrosis

> **NIH NIH R01** · OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY STILLWATER · 2020 · $374,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and irreversible interstitial lung disease with a mean
life expectancy of only 3 to 5 years after diagnosis. It is one of approximately 7,000 rare diseases. The disease
typically occurs in individuals between the ages of 50 and 70 years old. The abnormal activation of local
resident pulmonary fibroblasts is believed to be a major factor driving the fibrotic progression in IPF. However,
the molecular mechanisms leading to the fibroblast activation are not fully understood. The long-term goal of
this project is to elucidate the pathogenesis of IPF and thus to advance the development of an effective
pharmacological therapy. The objective of the current application is to understand how long non-coding RNAs
(lncRNAs) regulate pulmonary fibroblast activation in IPF. lncRNAs are non-protein-coding RNAs with a size
of > 200 nucleotides that have been increasingly recognized for their importance in regulating various
biological processes. Although small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs, have been extensively studied in
IPF, very little is known regarding the roles of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of pulmonary diseases, such as
IPF. Through the analyses of RNA_seq datasets, we have identified human fetal-lethal non-coding
developmental regulatory RNA (FENDRR) as an lncRNA that is down-regulated in the fibrotic lungs of patients
with IPF. Our preliminary studies have shown that TGFβ1 and hypoxia reduce FENDRR expression in
pulmonary fibroblasts and that the overexpression of FENDRR inhibits fibroblast activation. We have also
demonstrated that FENDRR reduces cellular iron content, and that iron depletion decreases pro-fibrotic miR-
214 expression. In addition, we have shown that FENDRR is a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that
functions as a sponge for miR-214. Finally, we have provided evidence that adenovirus-mediated gene transfer
of FENDRR into mouse lungs attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in preventive and therapeutic
modes. The central hypothesis of this project is that the down-regulation of FENDRR in IPF contributes to
pulmonary fibrosis by promoting fibroblast activation via increased expression and activity of pro-fibrotic
miR-214 due to iron overload and a reduced competition between FENDRR and miR-214,
respectively. Aim I will delineate the transcriptional regulation of FENDRR by the TGFβ and hypoxia signaling
pathways. Aim II will define the functional roles and molecular mechanisms of FENDRR in fibroblast activation.
Aim III will determine the therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms of action of Fendrr in pre-clinical pulmonary
fibrosis mouse models. The proposed studies will define novel mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of
IPF.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9932486
- **Project number:** 5R01HL135152-04
- **Recipient organization:** OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY STILLWATER
- **Principal Investigator:** LIN LIU
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $374,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9932486

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9932486, The Role of LncRNAs in Pulmonary Fibrosis (5R01HL135152-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9932486. Licensed CC0.

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