Project description
Unravelling hidden mechanisms underlying pattern formation during development
During development, precise control of gene expression allows the reproducible establishment of patterns, leading to the formation of organs at the right time and place. The establishment of developmental patterns has been primarily studied at the transcriptional level. By comparison, the fate of these transcripts has hitherto received little attention. New methods enabling the study of the translation of single mRNA molecules revealed a critical heterogeneity in translation. The EU-funded LightRNA2Prot project will seek to decipher the mechanisms dictating precision in gene expression. To this end, it will simultaneously consider both layers of regulation constituted by transcription and translation as well as their potential coupling.
Objective
During development, precise control of gene expression allows the reproducible establishment of patterns, leading to the adoption of cellular identities at the right time and place. What are the mechanisms behind such precision? To date, this question has been primarily examined from the focal point of transcription. However, precision in mRNA production is functionally relevant only if it leads to precision in protein expression. While the linear correlation between the levels of a given mRNA and the amount of protein it encodes has been assumed for the last six decades within the central dogma of molecular biology, many examples challenge this view. The control of translation, particularly in distinct subcellular compartments where mRNA are targeted, may lie at the heart of this mRNA to protein disconnect. LightRNA2Prot aims to unravel the mechanisms underlying the lack of correlation between mRNA and proteins levels to elucidate the sources of reproducible cell fate decisions during development. Importantly, it considers both the layers of regulation constituted by transcription and translation respectively, as well as their potential coupling. We will use quantitative imaging methods that simultaneously monitor mRNA, nascent peptides, and protein in Drosophila living embryos, combined with genetic/optogenetic manipulations to dissect the mechanisms at play. LightRNA2Prot focuses on two key questions: 1-How do the translation dynamics of key localized developmental transcripts modulate precise patterning? 2-How are (co)-transcriptional nuclear events coordinated with translational control in space and time? Combined with mathematical modeling and phenotypic characterization, our quantitative approaches will provide a dynamic multiscale view of gene expression control in vivo. The novel integration of translational control has the potential to dramatically change our view of stereotypic pattern formation and reproducible cell fate decisions during development.
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 biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine embryology
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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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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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) ERC-2021-COG
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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.
75794 PARIS
France
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