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Content archived on 2024-06-18

Small ribonucleic acids in silico

Objective

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is acquiring a larger importance in cell biology, as more functions that it accomplishes are discovered. In particular, as it has emerged in the last decade, it has a crucial role in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. The comprehension of these mechanisms and, in general, of RNA properties at a molecular level is a key issue in the study of many diseases and paves the way to possible applications in molecular medicine. Particularly interesting in this context are riboswitches, small portions of messenger RNAs which change their conformation in presence of specific metabolites and consequently inhibit or enhance gene transcription or translation. Another issue of paramount interest is RNA metabolism, crucial for viral replication, and in particular of the interaction of RNAs and the molecular motors devoted to its manipulation and unwinding. One of the goals of the present project is to develop new in silico approaches based on molecular dynamics for the study of small RNA molecules. In particular, the research will focus on (a) the development of ad hoc techniques to accelerate molecular dynamics simulations of RNA and of RNA-protein complexes and (b) to predict the three-dimensional structure of small RNAs. Another major goal of the present project is to apply the aforementioned techniques, in combination with standard molecular dynamics and state-of-the-art rare-event methods, to the study of three extremely relevant topics: (a) the interaction between RNA and the helicases, which are the enzymes devoted to its unwinding in the cell, (b) the conformational transitions in riboswitches, and (c) the structure of non-coding inverted short interspersed elements (SINE).

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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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.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

ERC-2012-StG_20111012
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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.

ERC-SG - ERC Starting Grant

Host institution

SCUOLA INTERNAZIONALE SUPERIORE DI STUDI AVANZATI DI TRIESTE
EU contribution
€ 1 295 700,00
Address
VIA BONOMEA 265
34136 Trieste
Italy

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Region
Nord-Est Friuli-Venezia Giulia Trieste
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Beneficiaries (1)

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