Project description
Enhancing stem cell differentiation through growth and genome reorganisation
Pluripotent stem cells have the potential to differentiate into all embryonic cell types and to produce organ-specific cell types such as pancreatic beta cells in vitro for research purposes. Emerging evidence indicates that pausing differentiation to allow cell growth and enhancer network alignment improves outcomes. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EPiC-VFG project aims to investigate the connection between growth and genome rearrangement focusing on the role of specific molecular players. Apart from advancing fundamental knowledge on lineage specification, results could enhance regenerative medicine outcomes by improving differentiation protocols for pancreatic cells and potentially other lineages.
Objective
Pluripotent stem cell differentiation to disease targeted cell types has historically produced poor or inconsistent outcomes. The Brickman lab recently suggested that pausing differentiation, allowing cells to grow, and catch up at the level of the enhancer network, leads to improved differentiation. In particular, the Brickman lab has demonstrated that expansion of endoderm at the ventral foregut stage (VFG) increases the efficiency and efficacy of pancreatic endocrine differentiation. The mechanism by which this occurs is unknown, but it involves the re-equilibration of enhancer networks and rearrangements in the cell cycle. I hypothesise that these two processes are tightly connected and to address cause and effects and understand the nature of this link, I will focus on how FOXA1, a factor required for expansion-specific pancreatic enhancer reorganization, acts to couple growth to genome rearrangement, how it interacts with the REST/CoREST/KBTBD4 complex to facilitate enhancer commissioning/decommissioning and finally whether proliferation-induced alterations to specific cell cycles phases drive this enhancer reconfiguration. The results of this project will significantly impact on regenerative medicine research as they will help formulating a differentiation protocol that produces in a more efficient way pancreatic endoderm and pancreatic endocrine cells. Although this fellowship exploits pancreatic differentiation as a model, its implications are broad, as a role of proliferation in preparing appropriate transcriptional responses for differentiating cells would represent a new paradigm for the link between growth and lineage specification.
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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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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.
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
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