# Research Resources: Epigenomic and Transcriptomic Profile of Human Immune Cells

> **NIH NIH R24** · LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY · 2020 · $1,043,779

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
While an enormous number of genetic variants have been associated with risk for human disease, how these
variants affect gene expression in various cell types remains largely unknown. To address this gap as it relates
to immune cells, as well as to identify which immune cell types are most susceptible to the effects of disease-
risk variants, the DICE (Database of Immune Cell Expression, Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) and
Epigenomics) project was established in 2014, funded by the current R24 resource grant (R24AI108564). Our
current datasets reveal the effects of disease risk-associated SNPs on common immune cell types (http://dice-
database.org). However, this dataset is far from complete; the effects of disease-risk variants on several very
important but rare and/or difficult to isolate cells, such as circulating innate immune cells and tissue-resident
immune cells, have yet to be studied. Having accomplished the aims of the first DICE grant, we now propose
to build on our findings through the following specific aims: In Aim 1, we will expand eQTL analysis to (A) Rare
circulating immune cell types such as dendritic cells, innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), invariant NKT cells, gdT cells
and CD4-CTL subsets, isolated from banked cryopreserved leukapheresis samples (>100) collected via the
DICE project, (B) circulating immune cells activated ex vivo, and (C) Tissue-resident memory (TRM) T cell types
such as CD8+ TRM, CD4+ TRM and tissue-resident NK cells isolated from lung tissue samples of 100 subjects to
map tissue-specific immune eQTLs tissue-resident immune cell types. In Aim 2, we will define long-range
enhancer-promoter 3D interactions in immune cell types to predict functionally important non-coding GWAS
SNPs. In Aim 3, we will expand our existing website (http://dice-database.org) to make current and newly
generated experimental data and analysis tools available to the community.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9983590
- **Project number:** 5R24AI108564-06
- **Recipient organization:** LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ferhat Ay
- **Activity code:** R24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,043,779
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-08-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9983590

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9983590, Research Resources: Epigenomic and Transcriptomic Profile of Human Immune Cells (5R24AI108564-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9983590. Licensed CC0.

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