Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) awarded a Project Grant of $415,906 to the University of Texas at Austin, effective June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2028, under the Environmental Health program (CFDA 93.113). This research initiative investigates how pseudouridine (Ps), a prevalent RNA modification, contributes to cellular stress responses induced by air pollution exposure. The project will examine the subcellular relocalization of pseudouridine synthase enzymes in response to airborne toxins, particularly particulate matter (PM2.5), and determine how changes in the mRNA modification landscape correlate with alterations in cellular fitness and disease susceptibility.

The deliverables of this award include mechanistic research characterizing the role of pseudouridine modifications in environmental stress responses, investigations of how pseudouridine synthase enzymes redistribute within cells during air pollution exposure, and identification of the relationship between RNA modification landscape changes and cellular adaptation to environmental toxins. This research advances fundamental understanding of post-transcriptional RNA modifications as regulatory mechanisms in environmentally induced disease states, with potential applications for developing intervention strategies to mitigate health impacts from ambient air pollution exposure affecting 99% of the global population.