Objective
Control of cell proliferation is important during normal growth and, when impaired, might cause malignant transformation. While cell-autonomous control of proliferation has been studied extensively, cell proliferation in the context of a growing organ, when different populations of cells have to coordinate their growth is less well understood. We are using the ovary of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system for understanding how cell proliferation is controlled at the level of the developing organ. The ovary of Drosophila forms during embryogenesis. At the larval stages the somatic cells of the ovary proliferate and differentiate. The somatic niches for germ line stem cells (GSCs) form at that stage. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) also proliferate, and once the somatic niches form, a subset of PGCs become the adult GSCs. Control of PGC proliferation is therefore one of the factors that determine the number of GSCs that the organ will contain. We have performed a screen aimed at finding how PGC proliferation is controlled. Such a screen has not been attempted previously and was therefore likely to reveal novel regulators of cell proliferation. The screen uncovered both cell-autonomous and non-cell autonomous regulators of PGC proliferation. Some of the genes are known cell cycle regulators. Others are homologues of known human tumor-suppressors or oncogenes, which were never studied in the fly. Some of the genes were never shown to control cell proliferation. We propose to study the developmental role of the genes uncovered by the screen. To do so, we will first form a priority list of genes to study according to pre-determined criteria. Our highest priority genes will be those that act from somatic cells to control PGC proliferation. Our studies will provide a better appreciation of how PGC proliferation is controlled by neighboring cells, and how an organ might control the number of adult stem cells it contains.
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 developmental biology
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
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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.
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.
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.
FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008
See other projects for this call
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.
Coordinator
7610001 Rehovot
Israel
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.