The Genetics and Physiology of Growth and Size Determination

Project Information

VitruVius

Grant agreement ID: 694677

DOI

10.3030/694677

Project closed

EC signature date 12 December 2016

Start date 1 January 2017

End date 31 December 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 2 499 144,00

EU contribution

€ 2 499 144,00

Coordinated by

INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE ET DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE
France

Periodic Reporting for period 5 - VitruVius (The Genetics and Physiology of Growth and Size Determination)

Reporting period: 2023-07-01 to 2023-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Body size is an important property of living organisms that is intimately linked to the developmental program to produce fit individuals with proper proportions. We tackle here the important question of how final organ size is determined ad we use the drosophila model for our experimental program. This fundamental question in biology is of importance for the society, since a better understanding of normal physiological mechanisms controlling growth of tissues is key for a better understanding of the pathological situations, like cancer, regeneration, or metabolic diseases.
Our main objectives for this project are:
- to understand the link between organ growth and the program of development.
- to understand the coordination between the growth of different organs during normal development and in response to abnormal growth (injury, tumor).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

- We have identified a new pathway using the Xrp1:Dilp8 axis that mediates inter-organ growth coordination in response to a perturbation of the growth program in one organ (Boulan et al. Dev Cell 2019)
- We have discovered a time-window during development which allows bilateral organs to adjust their size. (Blanco-Obregon et al. Nat Commun. 2022)
- We have identified a hormone sequestration mechanism linking tumor growth and host tissue wasting, similar to what is observed during cancer-induced cachexia (Santa-Barbara et al. Dev Cell 2021).
- We have studied the mechanisms selecting for perfect bilateral symmetry of organs in a population of individuals (Vijendravarma et al. PNAS 2022).
- We have studied the mechanisms of resource allocation during development allowing storing nutrients during feeding phases for later use during non-feeding ones (Valzania et al. Dev Cell 2024).

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

During the course of the project, we have made important discoveries on the mechanisms of organ growth coordination, the coupling of tumor growth and tissue wasting, the adjustment of bilateral organ size and sexual selection for symmetry, and the mechanisms of nutritional resource allocation during development.

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