Objective
Epigenetic gene regulation is of central importance for development and disease. Despite dramatic progress in epigenetics during the past decade, DNA demethylation remains one of the last big frontiers and very little is known about it. DNA demethylation is a widespread phenomenon and occurs in plants as well as in animals, during development, in the adult, and during somatic cell reprogramming of pluripotency genes. The molecular identity of the DNA demethylase in animal cells remained unresolved and has hampered progress in the field for decades. In 2007 we published that Growth Arrest and DNA Damage 45 a (Gadd45a) is a key player in active DNA demethylation, which opened new avenues in the study of this elusive process. The goal of this project is to further analyze the mechanism of DNA demethylation as well as the role played by Gadd45 in development. Given the many unresolved questions in this burgeoning field, our work promises to be ground-breaking and therefore have a profound impact in unraveling one of the least understood processes of gene regulation. Specifically we will address the following points. I) The biological role of Gadd45 mediated DNA demethylation in mouse embryos and adults is unknown. We have obtained mouse mutants for Gadd45a,b, and g and we will analyze them for developmental defects and dissect the methylation regulation of relevant genes. II) The targeting mechanism by which Gadd45 is binding to and demethylating specific sites in the genome is a central unresolved issue. We have identified a candidate DNA binding protein interacting with Gadd45 and we will analyze its role in site specific targeting of DNA demethylation in vitro and in mouse. III) We found that Gadd45 is an RNA binding protein and we will therefore analyze how non-coding RNAs are involved in targeting and/or activating Gadd45 during DNA demethylation.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine embryology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics epigenetics
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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-2009-AdG
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
55128 Mainz
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.