Objective
During the development of the central nervous system, specialized glia, oligodendrocytes, extend and wrap their plasma membrane around axons to form tightly packed membrane stacks that provide electrical insulation. Axonal insulation by myelin facilitates rapid nerve conduction and is essential for neuronal metabolism. Damage to the myelin sheath as it for example occurs in multiple sclerosis results in severe neurological disability not only by slowing down nerve conduction, but also as a result of neurodegeneration. Our main goal is to develop strategies to promote remyelination in demyelinating diseases. To realize this goal we need to understand how myelin is formed during normal development. The focus of this project will therefore be on the molecular mechanism of myelination and in particular on the role of neuron-glia communication in this process. We plan to study the mechanisms of myelin membrane growth and test a novel model of membrane extension. We hypothesize that the myelin membrane grows by the lateral diffusion of plasma membrane driven by a tension gradient that is formed by membrane trafficking events. We propose that neurons control this process by regulating the balance of exo- and endocytosis in oligodendrocytes. Furthermore, we would like to test a novel model of myelin membrane assembly, in which we suggest that myelin is formed after a gradual maturation of the plasma membrane that is regulated by neurons and require MBP. We will also investigate the signalling from oligodendrocytes to neurons by analyzing the function of small membrane vesicles, exosomes that we have recently found to be released by oligodendrocytes. Our goal is to understand how these signalling systems act on the cellular machinery that generates myelin. We hope that this approach will not only provide key insights into the development of myelin, but also help us to find new druggable targets for demyelinating diseases.
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 neurobiology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology multiple sclerosis
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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-2007-StG
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.
Host institution
80539 Munchen
Germany
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.