VGLL3: a possible reason autoimmune diseases affect women more
Understanding the immunometabolic mechanism of VGLL3 mediating female-biased autoimmunity
This project is learning whether a protein called VGLL3 causes metabolic stress in skin cells that helps explain higher autoimmune risk in women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Michigan State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (East Lansing, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11308302 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers will look at how VGLL3 behaves in skin cells and how metabolic stress and the immune signal interferon-alpha change its activity. They will use lab-grown human cells and controlled metabolic stress experiments to map the cellular response tied to VGLL3. The team will then test the VGLL3 pathway in living models to see if it leads to autoimmune-like disease features. Together this work aims to show why women are more prone to autoimmune conditions and point to ways to prevent or treat them.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants would be people (especially women) with autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus who are willing to provide skin or blood samples or join related observational studies.
Not a fit: People without autoimmune disease or those with conditions unrelated to immune or metabolic pathways are unlikely to see direct benefit from this research in the short term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal a new, sex-specific target (VGLL3 or its pathway) for preventing or treating autoimmune diseases in women.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked VGLL3 to cutaneous and systemic autoimmunity and to female-biased expression, but linking VGLL3 to immunometabolic stress and interferon-alpha signaling is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
East Lansing, United States
- Michigan State University — East Lansing, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liang, Yun — Michigan State University
- Study coordinator: Liang, Yun
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.