Project Grant R01DK149231

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded $2,546,148 to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston on September 1, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to investigate tissue-specific circadian function and the mechanism of retinoid acid receptor-related orphan receptors (RORs).

The recipient will conduct basic research on ROR subfamily nuclear receptors that function as core circadian clock components, focusing on how these receptors maintain oscillatory robustness and regulate both core clock genes and tissue-specific target genes. The project will utilize genetic knockout approaches and integrative lifestyle and pharmacological interventions, including investigation of a natural ROR agonist called nobiletin identified in prior screening work. Research will center on skeletal muscle metabolism under metabolic challenge, examining the role of RORs in mitochondrial complex formation and the regulatory mechanisms and cofactors involved. Prior genetic studies demonstrated impaired skeletal muscle function, mitochondrial dysfunction, and lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle-specific double knockout mice, with significantly altered circadian expression of mitochondrial and oxidative phosphorylation genes.

Work is performed in Houston, Texas, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2030. This is a Project Grant, the assistance type standard for NIH research funding. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston operates as a child entity within the University of Texas System.