Project description
Towards novel treatments for manganese-related disorders
he solute carrier protein SLC39A14 regulates manganese (Mn) levels in the body. When mutations occur in SLC39A14, the Mn carrier protein mislocalises away from the plasma membrane causing Mn to accumulate in the brain. This leads to a condition called hypermanganesaemia with dystonia 2 (HMNDYT2), which is associated with loss of motor function. Current treatments involve removing excess Mn, but they are ineffective and difficult to maintain. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SLC-Mn-HMNDYT2 project aims to study the genes that regulate the function of SLC39A14. By identifying how SLC39A14 can be restored to its proper position in cells, this project could lead to new treatments for patients with HMNDYT2.
Objective
"Solute carriers (SLCs) are membrane proteins that mediate the transport of biological and inorganic molecules. SLC39A14 regulates the transport of manganese (Mn) into primarily liver and intestinal cells from the blood. Bi-allelic loss of function (LOF) variants in SLC39A14 lead to an accumulation of blood Mn, which travels to the brain, causes significant deficits in motor function, eventually leads to the patients being non-ambulatory. Accordingly, these patients are diagnosed with Hypermanganesaemia with dystonia 2 (HMNDYT2) and are treated with Mn chelating agents. This treatment removes excess Mn from the blood; however, the five to eight day every four week treatment regime is impractical, and the treatment fails to alleviate clinical phenotypes in many cases. For this reason, new therapies must be developed.
Many LOF variants lead to mislocalization of SLC39A14 away from the plasma membrane, similar to how CFTR mutations induce loss of function. Interestingly, the recently FDA-approved drug ""Trikafta"" restores CFTR function by relocalizing it LOF variants to the plasma membrane. This method of action could serve as the basis for future HMNDYT2 therapies, but the regulatory landscape surrounding SLC39A14 gene expression, proteostasis, and trafficking is currently unknown. To address this significant gap in knowledge, we will identify genes that regulate SLC39A14 and could be future targets for HMNDYT2 therapies. To do this, we will first characterize the mislocalization of all 15 known SLC39A14 LOF variants in the population using microscopy and flow cytometry. We will then engineer HepaRG liver cells to express WT- and mutant-SLC39A14-EGFP at the endogenous SLC39A14 locus and perform a FACS-based whole genome CRISPR KO screen to identify genes that, when mutated, restore mutant-SLC39A14 levels at the plasma membrane. Lastly, we will validate our findings in other liver and intestine model systems, setting the stage for future therapeutics."
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
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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.
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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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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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1090 WIEN
Austria
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