Objective
Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are a family of proteins that play a crucial role in the cell. The sHSPs bind to proteins that have partially unfolded and prevent them from forming deleterious intracellular aggregates. In humans high levels of sHSPs are found in various tissues. Aberrant sHSP activity, or the loss of it, is associated with a variety of diseases including cataract, myopathy and neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, high levels of sHSPs protect cancer cells from chemotherapeutic treatment. To understand how sHSPs function a detailed knowledge of their 3D structure is required, both free and bound to a substrate. In this work we plan to study the structures of two human sHSPs, HSPB6 and HSPB8, by X-ray crystallography, small angle X-ray scattering and other biophysical methods. In the past isolated human sHSPs have proven recalcitrant to crystallization, we will circumvent this problem by studying HSPB6 and HSPB8 bound to known partner proteins. This work will be complemented with detailed structural studies of their interaction with ATXN3, a model protein substrate for polyglutamine expansion associated neurodegenerative diseases. We plan to generate atomic resolution structures of these various complexes that can be used to define the critical regions of the sHSPs that are necessary for activity. This knowledge, in turn, can be used to design therapeutic compounds that mimic or modulate sHSP function.
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 earth and related environmental sciences geology mineralogy crystallography
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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-2010-RG
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
3000 LEUVEN
Belgium
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.