Project description
Exploiting insect biodiversity to unveil innovative antiviral mechanisms
Antiviral mechanisms in animals involve a range of responses that help recognise and neutralize viral genetic material. With new viruses emerging frequently, there is a need to gain better insight into these mechanisms to prepare for future threats. The ERC-funded Evo-immuno project aims to investigate the antiviral gene diversity across different animal lineages, focusing on insects due to their vast diversity and previously unexplored antiviral potential. The study is based on the finding that insects regulate antiviral genes using the cyclic dinucleotide cGAMP which triggers specific pathways and induces antiviral protection in Drosophila. Researchers will employ this model to unveil novel antiviral mechanisms and genes that can fuel the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.
Objective
As we have seen with the emergence of viral pathogens like Ebola, ZIKA and SARS-CoV2, our societies are, and will continue to be, confronted to unknown and perilous viruses. To prepare for this, we propose to explore the diversity of antiviral genes in animals. Important signaling nodes have been conserved throughout evolution and regulate expression of antiviral genes that evolve dynamically in response to viral pressure. Because this occurs in parallel between different lineages, each animal has a unique arsenal of antiviral genes, with a core of conserved genes, but also taxon-specific genes, which represent an unexplored resource of potentially unique antiviral mechanisms. Insects, the largest group of animals, present high potential for such project but lack of information on the viruses infecting most of them prevented broad investigation up to now. Our discovery that the cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) cGAMP triggers a strong STING- and NF-B-dependent antiviral protection in drosophila, provides for the first time a handle to access the repertoire of induced antiviral genes in insects. We will exploit the assets of the drosophila model to address the function of cGAS-like receptors and the CDNs they produce. We will use RNA sequencing of cGAMP-stimulated insects and evolution-guided paradigms to identify among the STING-regulated genes candidates for functional antiviral screens in insect and human cells. Hits will be characterized to understand their mode of action. As proof of principle, we will study the function of Nazo, a fast-evolving STING-regulated gene duplicate in drosophila also strongly upregulated by interferons in bats. Overall, this project will provide a unique evolutionary perspective on the STING pathway and will lay the foundations for exploitation of rapidly increasing genomic data to document original antiviral strategies, with the long-term goal of inspiring innovative therapeutic approaches against viral infections.
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 microbiology virology
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases RNA viruses ebola
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases RNA viruses coronaviruses
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
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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-2023-ADG
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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.
67081 STRASBOURG
France
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.