Project description
Stress granule composition study in the search for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis therapy
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with an unknown cause: 10 % of patients show familial inheritance (fALS), while 90 % exhibit a sporadic form of ALS (sALS). ALS patients demonstrate intracellular inclusions of the RNA binding protein TDP-43. The process of TDP-43 aggregation, especially in sALS, is not understood. Cellular stress results in the recruitment of TDP-43 and other ALS-associated proteins into transient stress granules. A microenvironment of stress granules with a high local concentration of TDP-43 is suggested as a cause for aggregation, which is prevented in healthy neurons. The EU-funded StressOME project will investigate the composition of stress granules to identify novel targets that affect TDP-43 aggregation in fALS and sALS.
Objective
How do you study a disease with no known cause? Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease. Patients typically die 3-5 years after symptom onset. There is no cure.
Finding a cure is hindered by the lack of obvious causes: although 10% of patients show familial inheritance (fALS), 90% of patients exhibit a sporadic form of ALS with no known cause (sporadic ALS, sALS). Almost all ALS patients demonstrate intracellular inclusions of the RNA binding protein TDP-43. However, it is not clear what process allows TDP-43 to aggregate, especially in sALS. This will be the focus of the proposed StressOME project.
TDP-43, and other ALS-associated proteins are recruited into stress granules, transient structures that form in response to cellular stresses. Stress granules are thought to constitute a microenvironment with a high local concentration of TDP-43, sufficient to allow its aggregation; however this is prevented in healthy neurons. Therefore, the composition of stress granules may be crucial in the pathogenesis of ALS.
To determine whether the dynamics of stress granule assembly and disassembly are different in patient cells, I will derive skin cells from fALS and sALS cases and compare them to age-matched controls. In parallel, I will use a new technique called ‘biotinylation by antibody recognition’ to define the stress granule proteome in sALS and fALS patient cells for the first time. This will allow me to identify candidate genes that modulate stress granule dynamics.
I will generate stress granule reporter lines and misexpress candidate proteins, using live cell imaging to determine their effect on the dynamics of stress granules and the recruitment of TDP-43. Candidate genes will also be misexpressed in Drosophila models expressing TDP-43 in order to test their involvement in aggregation and toxicity. Through this approach I will identify novel targets that affect the aggregation of TDP-43 not only in fALS but also sALS.
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 genetics RNA
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
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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)
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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-2018
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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.
9052 ZWIJNAARDE - GENT
Belgium
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.