LincRNAs in Mucosal Defense to AIDS Opportunistic Pathogen Cryptosporidium

Health Relevance Cryptosporidial infection remains significant in AIDS patients and young children. The proposed research will study the role of epithelial lincRNAs in IFN-γ-mediated GI mucosal immune responses. The overall goal is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which epithelial cell-specific lincRNAs coordinate mucosal anti- Cryptosporidium defense and provide a basis for the identification of novel targets for therapeutic intervention.