Project description
Mapping one of the most important cellular receptor families
Mammalian cells separate their intracellular environments from the extracellular space via their cell membranes, critical for maintaining cellular homeostasis. However, cells and tissues also need a way to get extracellular signals carried by hormones, neurotransmitters and environmental stimulants into the cells. G-protein-coupled receptors are transmembrane proteins that take care of most of that, making them excellent targets for innumerable therapies. Knowing which ones are expressed where, when, and why is a prerequisite to targeted treatments. The EU-funded GPCR Transcriptomics project plans to deliver the first such map, and make it publicly available to the research community to ensure maximum impact on human health.
Objective
G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are key regulators of cell homeostasis. Given their importance in cell physiology, they have been extensively exploited as drug targets. Despite this, many discordant observations on receptor signalling and on GPCR drug response remain unexplained. Changes in receptor expression in different human tissues can be a key contributor to such differences in GPCR behaviour. And still, no comprehensive study has characterized human GPCR transcriptomics and its impact on receptor function. Such an analysis could help answer fundamental questions on GPCR pharmacology such as: How are different receptor types distributed across human tissues and how does this affect receptor function? How does age and gender-related GPCR differential expression affect receptor pharmacology? And how does splice variant distribution in different tissues influence receptor signalling? In this project, I will address these questions by applying a computational biology approach combining publicly available transcriptomics data with information on receptor structure, intracellular coupling, and pharmacogenomics. This will allow obtaining for the first time a GPCR-wide distribution map across human tissues; determining how differential expression according to age and gender can affect GPCR function; and assessing the impact of alternative splicing on receptor integrity, regulation, and coupling. At the end of this project, these insights will be made publicly available to the research community through the development of a web resource associated with the widely-used GPCR database. Using such a multidisciplinary approach, the proposed analysis will help clarify the importance of different receptor transcriptional profiles in cell physiology and drug response, point to more relevant systems to study GPCR signalling and to characterise new drug candidates, and foster a more personalised medicine by considering expression variability in the general human population.
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.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug discovery
- natural sciences computer and information sciences databases
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences health sciences personalized medicine
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology homeostasis
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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-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.
SN2 1FL SWINDON
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.