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Muscle Specific C. elegans Genome in health and disease: finding novel factors in 3D organization

Objective

The loss of structural integrity in the interphase nucleus leads to tissue-specific pathologies in a set of human diseases collectively called laminopathies. These are late-onset, tissue-specific degenerative diseases, such as Emery Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy (EDMD). While rare, these conditions provide insight into more common degenerative disorders linked to aging. A Caennorhabditis elegans mutant that recreates the EDMD phenotypes arises from introduction of a specific gain-of-function mutation into lamin (LMN-1 Y59C), which in turn affects the subnuclear distribution of muscle-specific promoters. This proposal plans to identify novel factors that establish and/or maintain the 3D organization of the genome in differentiated nuclei and to determine how this contributes to the differentiated muscle cell fate. I propose that compromised or altered sequestration of chromatin at the nuclear envelope alters cell-type specific promoter induction and in turn compromises the integrity of the tissue in question.
The specific aims of the project are 1) To identify factors that establish and/or maintain 3D genome organization in muscle nuclei. 2) To determine if the integrity of the perinuclear chromatin binding machinery helps maintain differentiated cell states. 3) To test inhibitors of epigenetic regulators for compounds that overcome the EDMD-like LMN-1 Y59C mutation. I will take two complementary approaches to determine how muscle specific chromatin organization maintains tissue integrity. I will use in vivo biochemical tagging in the LMN-1 Y59C mutant to identify perinuclear components that mediate sequestration of muscle-specific gene promoters. In parallel, a drug screen will find compounds that reverse the nuclear disorganization linked to the EDMD-like phenotype. The pathways identified will explain how lamin-induced mis-organization of the genome influences muscle integrity, a topic relevant for muscular dystrophies, sarcopenia, and other degenerative disease.

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2016

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Coordinator

FRIEDRICH MIESCHER INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FONDATION
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 187 419,60
Address
FABRIKSTRASSE 2
4056 BASEL
Switzerland

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Region
Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Nordwestschweiz Basel-Stadt
Activity type
Research Organisations
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Total cost

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.

€ 187 419,60
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