EPSCoR CREST Phase I: Center for Post-Transcriptional Regulation

The U.S. National Science Foundation's EPSCoR program’s mission is to enhance the research competitiveness of specific jurisdictions (state, territory, or commonwealth) by investing in projects to strengthen institutions’ science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) capacity and capability. In alignment with that mission, EPSCoR CREST Center awards support the establishment of centers in EPSCoR jurisdictions that integrate education and research to promote the advancement of STEM knowledge, enhancements of the research productivity of individual faculty, and an expanded presence of students in those regions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The EPSCoR CREST Phase I: Center for Post-Transcriptional Regulation at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport will create a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary research center dedicated to understanding how cells control metabolism through post-transcriptional processes. This work will reveal how RNA molecules and protein modifications regulate metabolism in the body, discoveries that may ultimately lead to new biotechnological advances and translational applications. Beyond its scientific impact, the center will serve as a powerful engine for education and workforce development in northern Louisiana. It will offer immersive research opportunities for high school students, hands-on summer programs for undergraduates, advanced training for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and professional development for faculty, all with a strong focus on building the STEM workforce and expanding STEM career opportunities. By combining cutting-edge biotechnology with a strong commitment to training, the Center will strengthen the regional research ecosystem and prepare the next generation of scientists in northern Louisiana. The center will be dedicated to advancing the mechanistic understanding of post-transcriptional regulation as a driver of metabolic control. The project will pursue three interrelated goals: (1) to define the role of long non-coding RNAs in hepatocyte nutrient metabolism using CRISPR-engineered induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes coupled with multiomic profiling and machine learning integration; (2) to elucidate how polyamine-mediated hypusination influences translation efficiency and metabolic output through ribosome profiling and RNA modification analyses; and (3) to characterize lactylation as a novel post-translational modification governing metabolic enzyme activity. These research activities will be supported by two centralized cores: the iPSC and Cell Models Core, which will provide standardized human hepatocyte models with CRISPR/Cas9 editing, and the Metabolomics and Machine Learning Core, which will enable multiomic data integration and predictive regulatory network modeling. By combining genome editing, high-throughput sequencing, metabolomics, and computational biology, the Center will generate transformative insights into how RNA biology shapes cellular metabolism. The anticipated contributions include new mechanistic principles of post-transcriptional regulation, the creation of widely distributed cellular and multiomic resources, and the establishment of a multidisciplinary training and outreach network that expands the STEM workforce and enhances regional biomedical research capacity at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport and throughout Northern Louisiana. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.