Project description DEENESFRITPL Quantification of the information transmitted between environment and cell Signalling pathways involve cascades of biochemical reactions that transmit outside signals to the cell interior. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Cellinfo project aims to elucidate how much information is transmitted from the environment to the cell via signalling pathways and how the signals are integrated over time. The project employs state-of-the-art quantitative optogenetics and theoretical modelling to quantify the information flow in the well-studied mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling pathway. Specific stimulation will be applied to activate the pathway while measuring the response at the end of the signalling cascade. The data collected will be organised into a theoretical framework, using statistical physics and information theory to quantify the amount of transmitted static and dynamic information. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Signaling pathways are cascades of biochemical reactions that transduce environmental signals to the cell interior. The cells rely on the information transduced through signalling pathways to govern biological functions and maximise the fitness of the organism. Conversely, defects in the signalling pathways are implicated in various diseases, e.g. carcinogenesis. The intricate network of signalling pathways indicates the existence of sophisticated information processing mechanisms, motivating the key questions of this project: How much information is transmitted from the environment through the signalling pathway? How many features of the signals are conveyed? Are signals integrated over time? To answer these questions, the project combines state of the art quantitative optogenetic experiments and theoretical modelling using information theory to quantify the information flow in the canonical MAPK signaling pathway. Experimentally, a well-defined stimulus will be applied at the beginning of the pathway while measuring the response at the end of the signaling cascade. The results will be integrated into a theoretical framework based on statistical physics and information theory to quantify how much static and dynamic information is being transmitted, offering key insights into cell function — the building blocks of living organisms — with potential application in drug design. The strong interdisciplinary nature of this project and the detailed dissemination strategy promotes collaboration between research communities of physicists and biologists, as well as reinforces information as a key concept in life sciences. The included training plan ensures the candidate will acquire skills in advanced experimental and theoretical techniques, and the two-way transfer of knowledge provides mutual benefit between the candidate and the host institution. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencescell biologycell signalingmedical and health sciencesbasic medicinemedicinal chemistrynatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdata sciencedata processing Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2020 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2020 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator INSTITUT CURIE Net EU contribution € 184 707,84 Address RUE D ULM 26 75231 Paris France See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 184 707,84
