Objective
Choanoflagellates are the closest living relatives of animals, and thus are a key source of information on animal origins. Some species of choanoflagellates, such as S. rosetta, exhibit facultative multicellularity through rosette colony formation. One critical pathway involved in multicellular development, conserved among metazoans, is Hippo signaling. This pathway plays a central role in regulating cell proliferation and organ size by regulating the activity of the key transcription factor Yorkie (or YAP/TAZ). In animals, Yorkie is regulated by mechanical stress, often mediated through the cytoskeleton, in a process known as mechanotransduction. Components of the Hippo pathway are conserved across all animals, but also in choanoflagellates. Although preliminary data show that the Hippo pathway sets colony size in S. rosetta, the upstream signals that modulate Hippo signaling and the full structure of the Hippo pathway in choanoflagellates remain unknown.
This project aims to determine whether rosette colony size is regulated by mechanotransduction through Yorkie localization in S. rosetta. First, I will develop robust tools in this emerging model to monitor Yorkie localization and function, including genome editing, fluorescent fusion proteins, antibody production, and transcriptomic profiling. Next, I will explore mechanosensitivity by applying mechanical stress and cytoskeletal perturbations and monitoring gene expression and Yorkie localization. Finally, I will broadly characterize the choanoflagellate Hippo pathway by identifying all components using AirID – a proximity-labeling technique to identify protein–protein interactions – and performing tunable CRISPRi knockdowns of essential genes to evaluate their function while avoiding lethality.
This work will provide key insights into the evolution of Hippo signaling and into the role of physical forces in the early evolution of animal multicellularity.
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.
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology genetic engineering gene therapy
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
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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)
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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-2025-PF
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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.
75724 Paris
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.