Objective
Immune tolerance is key to the maintenance of the integrity of organisms against foreign invaders with respect to self-constituents. Deregulation of this mechanism promotes the occurrence of life-threatening autoimmune diseases that affect 5-10% of the general population. Previously, the transcriptional activator (Aire) was shown to play a key role in immune tolerance. Indeed, Aire induces medullary epithelial cells in the thymus (MECs) to synthesize and present a large repertoire of peripheral self-antigens (a “self-shadow”), leading to the clonal deletion of self-reactive maturing T cells and thereby protecting against autoimmune manifestations. In addition to activating transcription, preliminary results indicate that Aire induces 3’UTR shortening of its sensitive transcripts in MECs, and that these cells show an accumulation of miRNAs. The goal of our project is to describe a post-transcriptional control of the Aire-driven expression in the thymus that leads to higher levels of Aire-dependent self-antigens, and to identify key molecular players involved in this mechanism. We first propose to confirm that Aire-induced transcripts have shorter 3’UTR ends by mRNA high-throughput sequencing in primary MECs, and that these transcripts escape a miRNA-mediated post-transcriptional repression in a MEC cell line. We will also seek factors involved in Aire-triggered 3’UTR shortening by performing a lentivirus-based RNAi screen of a set of RNA-binding proteins in an in vitro model that we will set up. Finally we will validate some of the best candidates in vivo by generating knock-down mice using a high-speed lentigenic approach based on oocytes infection with lentiviruses delivering targeting short-hairpin RNAs. Altogether the expected results should uncover an important layer of control of self-antigen expression in the thymus mediating immune tolerance, and provide new potential targets for therapeutic intervention in autoimmune diseases.
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 biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology autoimmune diseases
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
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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-2011-CIG
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.
MC-CIG - Support for training and career development of researcher (CIG)
Coordinator
75654 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.