THE ROLE OF ZFP30 IN INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSES IN THE AIRWAYS

Project Leader: Luke Laudermilk

In a previous study, we identified the gene Zfp30 as a regulator of neutrophil chemotaxis to the airways using a systems genetics approach. Specifically, we found that that the level of Zfp30 expression was negatively correlated with the hallmark neutrophil chemokine CXCL1 and, in turn, neutrophilic inflammation. The gene product of Zfp30 is an uncharacterized zinc finger protein with proteins domains that are involved in suppression of gene expression, but as of yet there are no specific studies on ZFP30. The goals of my project are three-fold. First, I will identify the genetic variants that modulate Zfp30 expression. Second, I will conduct a comprehensive search for targets of ZFP30 through ChIP-seq and RNA-seq. Third and finally, I will evaluate the consequence of ZFP30 loss in knockout mouse model.