Project description
Dissecting gene regulation in plants
Regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes is fundamental for cell survival, differentiation and development. Regulation at the protein synthesis stage is critical and involves the target of rapamycin (TOR) protein kinase, which suppresses the function of translation repressor proteins. To achieve this, the TOR signalling pathway integrates nutrient and energy sufficiency information as well as hormone and growth factor levels. The EU-funded TOR in acTIon project has set out to understand how plants employ TOR to regulate protein synthesis. The key objective is to identify regulatory factors that function under the control of TOR in translation initiation and to decipher the role of the plant hormone auxin, a key coordinator of plant growth.
Objective
Translation is a critical step in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. Most of the control occurs at the level of translation initiation, which is a rate-limiting step in protein synthesis. In mammals, cap-dependent translation initiation is under the regulation of the target of rapamycin (TOR) protein kinase, which suppresses the function of translation repressor proteins, the eIF4E-binding proteins (4E-BPs) that sequester the cap-binding factor eIF4E at the 5′-end of mRNA. The TOR signaling pathway integrates nutrient and energy sufficiency, hormones and growth factors to regulate protein synthesis in mammals and plants. How TOR signals environmental changes to regulate mRNA translation and ribosome production in plants is at present unknown. This project aims to define the role of the plant TOR kinase in translation regulation and to understand how plants have rewired the TOR signalling pathway for their specific translational programs. We have discovered putative plant translation repressor (TR) proteins that harbour eIF4E binding sites and TOR phosphorylation sites, and will study translation initiation mechanisms and their control by TOR in the shoot apical meristem—a specialized tissue containing a stem cell niche responsible for building the shoot. The main objective of proposed research is to uncover regulatory factors that function under the control of TOR in translation initiation and to identify their targets among meristematic mRNAs. A search for cellular mRNAs whose initiation is regulated by TOR and/or TR proteins will be performed using a global ribosomal profiling approach. The plant hormone auxin is an upstream effector of TOR and impacts stem cell niche activity. Thus, we shall study whether TOR mediates signaling from auxin to control TR activity and translation initiation. Finally, we will test whether TOR couples amino acid sensing to regulation of translation initiation.
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
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry amines
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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-2019
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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.
75794 PARIS
France
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.