Objective
How do cells communicate robustly despite noise to enable development and homeostasis in multicellular systems? Encoding biological information in signalling pathway dynamics can enhance robustness and signal versatility. Oscillatory activity is a key type of signalling dynamics. Somitogenesis, the periodic segmentation of vertebrate embryos, serves as a model system for studying signalling oscillations in embryonic development. It leads to the formation of somites, transient structures that give rise to vertebrae, axial muscles and other tissues. In anterior unsegmented tissue, single cells commit to differentiation and somite formation. However, our single-cell tracking reveals that oscillations exhibit noise in levels, periods and amplitudes among neighbouring cells. Similarly, in adult tissue homeostasis, i.e. in the small intestine, we recently identified that cell type composition is regulated by signalling oscillation periods, which also vary in parameters between cells. This raises a central question: How is biological information for somite formation and intestinal homeostasis encoded in noisy oscillators?
To address this, we developed a toolset for investigating the function of signalling dynamics in tissues at the single-cell level. We will study how signalling is regulated from posterior to anterior unsegmented tissue in mouse embryos by identifying components modulating the oscillatory systems. We will also determine which oscillator features transmit information for somite formation by quantifying dynamic signalling reporters in single cells during differentiation and somitogenesis and testing these features experimentally. Finally, we aim to uncover universal principles of information transmission by comparing mouse with human somitogenesis and with small intestinal homeostasis.
This study will reveal how networks of noisy oscillators encode biological information essential for embryonic development and tissue homeostasis.
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.
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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)
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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
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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-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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) ERC-2025-COG
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1011 JV AMSTERDAM
Netherlands
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