Objective
The intestinal epithelium is a highly self-renewing tissue, which is replenished by multipotent stem cells. Deregulation of normal intestinal homeostasis often results in malignant transformation. Colorectal carcinoma is one of the most common cancers in western world. Inactivating mutations of the Apc (Adenomatous Polyposis Coli) gene is key for colorectal cancer; up to 80% of sporadic colorectal cancers have Apc mutations. The main tumour suppressive function of Apc is to negatively regulate Wnt signalling, however the functional significance of the pathways downstream of Apc remains elusive. Furthermore, the contribution of intestinal stem cells to colorectal cancer is unclear. The host laboratory has generated a mouse model to study the acute consequences of Apc loss in vivo. Using microarray analysis the lab has identified numerous novel Wnt target genes that are up regulated at all stages of colorectal carcinogenesis. These genes may be important modifiers of the Apc phenotypes but, given their number and potential redundancies, they cannot be tested in a high throughput manner in the mouse. Drosophila melanogaster is one of the best model organisms to perform genetic screens. Recent reports have shown that the Drosophila adult gut has remarkable resemblance to the vertebrate intestine. Importantly, Drosophila intestinal stem cells have been unambiguously identified. In this proposal I will: A) Generate a Drosophila model of Apc driven gut tumourigenesis. B) Test the fly orthologues of the mouse candidate target genes in this system. C) Test the modifiers of the Drosophila phenotype in the mouse model of Apc loss. Ours is a novel approach, which takes advantage of two in vivo genetic model systems to shed light into the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating malignant transformation within the intestinal epithelium.
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 cell biology cell signaling
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology colorectal cancer
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology homeostasis
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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)
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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-IEF-2008
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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
G61 1BD Bearsden
United Kingdom
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.