Objective
The next frontier in genomics is to understand and predict how the non-coding genome, including distal regulatory elements (enhancers), regulate precise patterns of gene expression. This is crucial to our understanding of development, evolution and disease, with huge clinical relevance to decode the vast majority of disease associated variants. Although many variants impact enhancers, it remains a major challenge to identify their target gene. This is largely because genes have many enhancers, often spanning great distances with many genes in between. How enhancers recognise the correct gene, ignoring others, remains one of the greatest mysteries in genome regulation. The factors involved and sequence-level determinants of enhancer-promoter (E-P) specificity remain elusive.
Here, we will combine systematic genetics, high-resolution genomics, and deep learning to perform the first large-scale functional dissection of the trans-factors and cis-regulatory features required for E-P looping and specificity in an in vivo context, using Drosophila embryogenesis. Drosophila has a track record of identifying conserved regulators of E-P communication from flies to man, including the discovery of Ldb1 and cohesin, and offers unmatched resources for this task: (a) genome-wide lines enabling tissue-specific knockdown of every gene; (b) efficient P-element transposon hopping, to force loops and sense enhancers to assess E-P specificity; (c) a near-complete map of regulatory elements for all embryonic stages. This proposal has three complementary Aims, to: 1) Identify new genes and cis-regulatory features functionally required for E-P looping; 2) Dissect, model, and predict sequence rules underlying E-P specificity & 3) Determine functional E-P pairs at scale by combining promoter engineering and mobilised enhancer sensors. Together, these approaches will provide unprecedented insights into regulatory specificity, transforming our understanding and decoding of genome regulation
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.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning deep learning
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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)
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.
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-2025-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.
69117 Heidelberg
Germany
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.