Wednesday, September 17, 2025 9/17/2025

Establishing CUX1 as a determinant of Hematopoietic Stem cell heterogeneity

Award Number: F30HL163992
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, & BLOOD INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/30/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/29/2027

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Establishing CUX1 as a determinant of Hematopoietic Stem cell heterogeneity - Project Summary/Abstract Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) exhibit heterogeneity with respect to repopulating capacity, lineage bias, and cell cycle participation. Teleologically, heterogeneity is the result of stem cells making fundamental decisions regarding the population of the tissue. Differences in stem cell behavior have been linked to the expression of cell surface and cytoplasmic markers without mechanistic explanation. HSC heterogeneity has not previously been attributed to a transcription factor. We propose the observed heterogeneity in HSCs can be explained by the actions of a dose-dependent, homeodomain-containing transcription factor, CUX1. Three lines of evidence suggest CUX1 to be a putative orchestrator of HSC heterogeneity: it recurrently acts in a dose-dependent manner across developmental systems, its recurrent loss in high-risk hematopoietic disease, and its role in chromatin regulation. I report the generation of a CUX1mCherry reporter mouse to study the role of CUX1 in hematopoiesis. The Cux1mCherry mouse is the result of an in-frame, C-terminal mCherry tag at the endogenous CUX1 locus. The addition of the tag creates no aberrant hematopoietic phenotype, suggesting this is a suitable model for the proposed studies. The immunophenotypic long-term HSC (LT-HSC) compartment has among the greatest variances in CUX1 expression. Across CUX1 protein levels in the LT-HSC compartment, we report several correlations to strongly suggest that the observed variation in CUX1 protein results in meaningful differences in stem cell behavior. For example, CUX1Bright HSCs are more likely to be cycling than CUX1Int and CUX1Dim HSCs at steady state. Thus, our studies suggest that CUX1 is playing a dose-dependent role in murine hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). This proposal aims to (i) establish the role of CUX1 in lineage bias and repopulating capacity and (ii) determine the mechanism by which CUX1 exerts a dose- dependent role. Accomplishing the proposed studies will illuminate an important paradigm in developmental biology: how a small pool of stem cells balance self-renewal and differentiation to give rise to all the mature cells in a tissue. An etiological understanding of stem cell behavior will provide new insights into the development of new therapies for the many diseases that arise in HSCs. The project I propose here is accompanied by a training plan developed by me and my mentors that delineates four goals I will need to accomplish to propel me towards becoming a successful independent physician-scientist. These four goals include gaining expertise in hematopoiesis, gaining expertise in bioinformatics, developing proficiency in scientific communication, and integrating the scientific and clinical aspects of my training. Realizing these goals will give me the skills that I need to be a physician-scientist well- equipped to address meaningful biological questions related to the catastrophic illnesses of childhood.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $54,538 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Blood Diseases and Resources Research	000	4	9/2/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$54,538
														Subtotal = $54,538

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $53,974 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Blood Diseases and Resources Research	000	3	8/13/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$53,974
														Subtotal = $53,974

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $52,694 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Blood Diseases and Resources Research	000	2	8/9/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$52,694
														Subtotal = $52,694

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $51,752 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Blood Diseases and Resources Research	001	1	8/15/2022	NEW	$0
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Blood Diseases and Resources Research	000	1	8/15/2022	NEW	$51,752
														Subtotal = $51,752

Grand Total All Awards = $212,958

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Establishing CUX1 as a determinant of Hematopoietic Stem cell heterogeneity

Award Number: F30HL163992

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, & BLOOD INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/30/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/29/2027

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