Objective
Spontaneous mutations in three of the five known KCNQ family members are associated with rare monogenic neurological disorders including a novel rare neurological disorder linked to mental retardation. This project will focus on unravelling the cell biology underlying these disorders by identifying the processes that control KCNQ channel function, including their modulation by second messengers, biogenesis, targeting and transcriptional control. We shall identify and characterise the mode of action of new drugs that affect the function of these channels. We will analyse the biochemical and biophysical properties of the mutations associated with these disorders. Structure-function studies will unveil the processes affected, including the trafficking, membrane insertion, assembly (oligomerisation) and degradation of KCNQ channels. The transduction mechanisms underlying their regulation by neurotransmitters will be studied. By exploring protein-protein interactions, the molecular complexes that interact with these channels will be deciphered, and the physiological significance of the interactions identified and validated will be analysed. Because some mutations in the KCNQ loci do not appear to lie in the coding region, and nothing is known about the control of KCNQ gene transcription, we will study how the expression of those genes is regulated. Mouse models for some of the disorders are available for analysis in this project, and further conditional mutants will be produced to gain a more precise idea of the pathology of these diseases. Mutagenesis structure-function studies will also unveil the molecular basis for drug specificity, permitting the mechanisms of action to be defined. We have already found new drugs that modulate KCNQ channels with promising pharmacological potential and we will screen for new compounds using high throughput methods, evaluating their therapeutic potential.
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 proteomics
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology
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.
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.
FP6-2002-LIFESCIHEALTH
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
MADRID
Spain
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.