Objective
During brain development, neural stem cells (neuroblasts) divide asymmetrically to produce a neuroblast and a neural progenitor cell, the ganglion mother cell (GMC), which will later divide to produce two neurons or glia. Asymmetric protein localization and transcriptional activation are two well-established mechanisms that influence cell fate decisions during this process. I hypothesize that a relatively unexplored regulatory component—mRNA stability—also plays a major role in neural differentiation. mRNA stability is regulated to achieve high temporal and spatial control of gene expression and may therefore provide a powerful way to establish or reinforce cell fate decisions in the nervous system. However, little is known about the functions of regulated mRNA stabilization or decay during development of the brain (or any other complex tissue). Our lab recently discovered that the mRNA encoding a key conserved neural differentiation-promoting transcription factor, Prospero, is unstable in Drosophila neuroblasts, but is stabilized in the more differentiated GMCs. This proposal seeks to expand upon this finding and to determine the extent of mRNA stability regulation and its functional significance in the developing brain. I aim to develop a novel genome-wide technique that will allow quantitative comparison of mRNA decay rates between neuroblasts and GMCs. I will then use this technique to query the function of conserved RNA-binding proteins in the regulation of neural mRNA stability. Finally, I will use our state-of-the-art live brain imaging assays to determine the functional requirement for specific regulatory events in brain development at the cellular and molecular levels. The experiments described in this proposal have the potential to uncover a major new class of post-transcriptional regulatory events that determine the balance between proliferation and differentiation in the developing brain.
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 neurobiology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
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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.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
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.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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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.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2016
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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.
OX1 2JD Oxford
United Kingdom
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.