Objective
It is now becoming apparent that genes are regulated not only by transcription, but also by thousands of post-transcriptional regulators that can stabilize or degrade mRNAs. Some of the most important regulators are miRNAs, short RNA molecules that are deeply conserved in sequence and are involved in numerous biological processes, including human disease. Surprisingly, transcriptomic and proteomic studies show that most miRNAs only have subtle silencing effects on their targets, suggesting additional important, but yet undiscovered functions. Thus the question is raised: if the main function of miRNAs is not to silence targets, what is it?
I will test two novel hypotheses about miRNA function. The first hypothesis proposes that miRNAs can buffer gene expression noise. The second hypothesis is inspired by my preliminary results and proposes that miRNAs can synchronize expression of genes. If I validate either hypothesis, it would mean that miRNA functions can be investigated in entirely new ways, yielding important new biological insights relevant to both basic research and human health. However, these hypotheses can only be tested in individual cells, and the necessary single-cell technologies and computational tools are only maturing now.
I will apply my expertise in miRNA biology and in combined wet-lab and computational methods to design, develop and apply miRCell-seq to test these two hypotheses in cell cultures and in animals. This new method will for the first time measure miRNAs, their targets, and the interactions between them in single cells and transcriptome-wide. We will use mutant cells devoid of miRNAs and time course experiments to generate sufficient data to develop detailed models of the miRNA impact on their targets. We will then validate our findings with single cell proteomics. This project thus has the potential to reveal novel functions of miRNAs and substantially improve our general understanding of gene regulation.
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
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- natural sciences computer and information sciences computational science
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
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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.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
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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) ERC-2017-STG
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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.
10691 Stockholm
Sweden
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.