# Intestinal mucosal growth in health and surgical diseases

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · 2020 · $361,389

## Abstract

Abstract
 Maintenance of the gut epithelial integrity under critical surgical conditions
requires epithelial cells to rapidly elicit changes in gene expression patterns to regulate
their survival, adapt to stress and keep epithelial homeostasis. Inhibition of mucosal
growth occurs commonly in various critical surgical disorders, particularly in patients who
undergo massive gastrointestinal surgical resections and are then supported with total
parenteral nutrition (TPN). Because of our deficient understanding of the mechanism
underlying this critical pathological process, effective therapies to maintain the mucosal
epithelial integrity in patients with critical surgical illnesses are limited, leading to
mucosal atrophy, maladaptation, delayed healing, impaired barrier function, and
bacterial translocation. Recently, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as a novel
class of master regulators of gene expression and are fundamentally involved in many
biological processes and various human diseases. In preliminary studies, our genome-
wide miRNA and long ncRNA (lncRNA) expression profiles reveal that fasting-induced
mucosal atrophy associates with an increase in miR-195 but with a decrease in lncRNA
Uc-173. Tissue-specific miR-195 deletion in intestinal epithelial cells enhances gut
mucosal hyperplasia, whereas Uc-173 silencing represses mucosal growth by increasing
miR-195. Based on these exciting observations, we HYPOTHESIZE that a network of
miR-195/lncRNA Uc-173 interactions plays an important role in maintaining the intestinal
epithelial integrity under critical surgical conditions. Three specific aims are proposed to
test the hypothesis: 1) to determine the exact role of miR-195 in gut mucosal growth and
adaptation in critical surgical conditions and to further identify its targetome; 2) to
determine whether lncRNA Uc-173 interacts functionally with miR-195 to jointly regulate
intestinal mucosal growth and target mRNA expression in response to surgical stress;
and 3) to define the mechanisms by which lncRNA Uc-173 regulates miR-195
transcription and biogenesis. Completion of these specific aims will make a significant
conceptual advance by linking the miRNA/lncRNA interaction with gut mucosal
regeneration and will create a fundamental base for developing novel therapies to
maintain intestinal epithelial integrity in patients with critical surgical illness.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9957045
- **Project number:** 5R01DK057819-19
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
- **Principal Investigator:** Jian-Ying Wang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $361,389
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2000-06-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9957045

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9957045, Intestinal mucosal growth in health and surgical diseases (5R01DK057819-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9957045. Licensed CC0.

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