Objective
Mammals have two types of fat: brown and white, with opposing functions. The white adipose tissue (WAT) is an important regulator of the whole body homeostasis that also serves to store energy in form of triglycerides (TGs). The main function of the brown adipose tissue (BAT) is to catabolize lipids in order to produce heat, a function that can be induced by cold exposure or diet. Disruption of the normal differentiation or development of the WAT causes ectopic lipid storage and severe pathology in both humans and experimental animals. Increased BAT development leads to increased energy expenditure without causing dysfunction in other tissues, and is associated with a lean and healthy phenotype, outlining the manipulation of the fat stores as an obvious therapeutic objective. With the proposed research we will identify miRNAs and other factors that regulate BAT and WAT differentiation and function. We will distinguish the miRNAs that specifically regulate brown or white adipogenesis and are expressed in the respective precursors, and establish them as signatures for either cell type. We will also identify the molecular mechanisms of action of the identified miRNAs in regulation of adipose tissue differentiation and metabolism. Using in vitro and in vivo systems, linage tracing studies, transgenic animals, as well as cohorts of human patients, we will determine the origin of the beige cells within the SAT, establish their importance in the regulation of metabolism in vivo, and develop novel strategies to induce the brown fat differentiation and function. Finally, we will discover ways to exclusively silence miRNAs in the brown fat will that will allow us not only to investigate the miRNAs function specifically in the brown fat, but also to develop new strategies for treatment of dyslipedaemia, diabetes and obesity.
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 clinical medicine endocrinology diabetes
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology homeostasis
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition obesity
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
ERC-2013-StG
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.
Host institution
1211 Geneve
Switzerland
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.