Objective
Morphogens are locally produced molecules that act over long distances in tissues to control the pattern of gene expression. A particularly well-understood model system for studying the mechanisms of morphogen-mediated patterning is the vertebrate neural tube. Here, Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) induces discrete neuronal progenitor domains through regulation of a combinatorial code of transcription factors. The observed precision and reproducibility of gene expression appears greater than can be accounted for by the precision of Shh signalling alone. Thus, mechanisms must exist that filter signaling noise. We hypothesize that this involves either the properties of the downstream transcriptional network regulated by Shh signaling or active cell sorting.
The proposed research project aims at quantifying the amount of noise in the pattern of gene expression in the vertebrate neural tube, and investigating how, at which level, and to which extent this noise is buffered. To achieve this goal, I will generate fluorescent reporters for the expression of three key Shh target genes, Nkx2.2 Olig2 and Pax6, and spatiotemporally correlate the activity of these reporters with Shh pathway activity. In parallel, a quantitative analysis of the behaviour of cells will be performed to elucidate the contribution of differential cell adhesion and active cell sorting. The combined results will be integrated into a theoretical framework to account qualitatively and quantitatively for Shh-mediated patterning of the neural tube.
Due to the iterative deployment of Hedgehog (Hh) signalling during animal development and the evolutionary conservation of the Hh pathway, the types of mechanisms deduced from our quantitative analysis will probably not only apply to Shh-mediated patterning in the neural tube, but to a broad range Hh-mediated patterning processes. Furthermore, similar mechanisms of noise compensation may be also deployed by other morphogen systems.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology molecular genetics
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology cell signaling
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
See other projects for this call
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.
Coordinator
NW1 1AT London
United Kingdom
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.