Objective
I will study the role of the transcription factor Nfix, in post-natal skeletal muscle growth and regeneration, and in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophies. I have recently demonstrated the role of the transcription factor Nuclear Factor IX, Nfix, in driving the transcriptional switch from embryonic to fetal myogenesis, characterized by a switch from slow to fast twitching and more mature fibers. Current data show that Nfix is also strongly expressed in satellite cells (SCs), the muscle adult stem cells responsible for post-natal muscle growth and regeneration. Therefore, I will investigate: 1. The gene expression profile of the muscle specific Nfix null SCs in vitro in comparison with wt SCs. 2. The ability of Nfix deficient SCs to repair muscle damage in comparison with wt SCs. Moreover, I will study the possible use of Nfix in muscular dystrophies. Muscular dystrophies are characterized by primary wasting of skeletal muscle and currently lack a therapy. Among the different approaches, many efforts are directed to induce hypertrophy in dystrophic to counteract progressive degeneration. This is achieved by enhancing regeneration at the expense of the satellite cell pool. Interestingly, fast muscle fibers are preferentially affected in different muscular dystrophies. As Nfix regulates slow myosin expression, I propose that a slower twitching muscle may escape muscle degeneration in a dystrophic mouse model. In this perspective, the possible interference of Nfix with the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophy will be studied by crossing muscle-specific Nfix null mice alpha sarcoglycan null mice ( a model for Limb Girdle 2D muscular dystrophy) (Aim 3). The results of this study will have important implications for the understanding of the mechanisms regulating post-natal muscle growth and regeneration and potentially as a novel therapy for muscular dystrophy.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology muscular dystrophies
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2011-StG_20101109
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Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
20122 Milano
Italy
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