Project description
The influence of naturally ocurring mutations on neuronal activity
Behaviour is guided by neuronal activity. Although years of research have provided evidence that behaviour is affected by naturally occurring mutations, our understanding of how genetic variation affects the activity of individual neurons is still limited. The scope of the EU-funded NeuroContext project is to genetically manipulate the activity of single neurons in Drosophila melanogaster to study how specific genetic variants can have an impact on behaviour. The project will identify mutations that affect neuronal activity with respect to the freeze or flee response of flies to potential threats. Results will provide fundamental information on the regulation of neuronal activity by the genetic background in a natural population.
Objective
Behaviors are quantitative traits, influenced by natural genetic variants in many different genes. Ultimately, polymorphisms impact the activity of single neurons to modify behavior. However, studies to dissect neuronal circuits are performed in a single genetic background, without the genetic context where they evolved. In this action, I propose to study neuronal activity in a more natural genetic context, by manipulating the activity of single neurons and measuring the resulting impact on behavior in several genetic backgrounds. This will allow determining how robust are neural circuits to genetic perturbation and identifying polymorphisms that modulate neuronal activity at the single neuron resolution.
To study the impact of genetic background in neuronal activity, I will use D.melanogaster which offer versatile genetic tools to manipulate activity of single neurons, resources for rapid analysis of population genetics and robust behavioral assays. One conserved behavior that flies share with many other species is the freeze or flee response to threats. Many aspects of this behavior have been dissected in flies, including the role of descending neurons (DNs), which connect the brain to motor centers. In here, I will inhibit the activity of DNs previously shown to impact the freezing behavior in response to looming stilmuli. This will be performed in several genetic backgrounds, using a collection of inbreed lines with fully sequenced genomes. With this, I will identify polymorphisms that interact with the action of single DNs, trough genome wide association study (GWAS). The candidate genes from this analysis will be tested for their role in modulating the neuronal activity.
NeuroContext will elucidate how genetic polymorphisms, present in natural populations, interact with the activity of single neurons. This will greatly impact the future research in neurosciences, by informing on how genetic backgrounds have to be considered in research programmes.
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 neurobiology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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.
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H2020-EU.4. - SPREADING EXCELLENCE AND WIDENING PARTICIPATION
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
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.
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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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.
(opens in new window) H2020-WF-2018-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1400-038 LISBOA
Portugal
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.