Project description
Evolution of cell adhesion
The transition from unicellular organisms to complex multicellular animals is one of the most profound events in evolutionary history. Although many genes essential for multicellularity were already present in unicellular ancestors, it remains unclear how they were modified to assist in the formation of organised tissues. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the METACAD project aims to investigate the evolutionary origins of cadherin-based cell adhesion. This system is central to tissue organisation, contact inhibition, and embryonic development in animals. By combining bioinformatics, structural biology, and functional genetics, researchers will reconstruct how primitive cell contacts evolved into the robust adhesion machinery that underlies animal tissue integrity. Project results could provide the first experimental evidence for this fundamental evolutionary transition.
Objective
A key insight about the origin of multicellular animals is that many genes critical for multicellularity were already present in their unicellular ancestors. Yet how these genes were modified and co-opted for true multicellularity remains unclear. This project will tackle the evolution of cell adhesion during the unicellular-to-multicellular transition, focusing on cadherins, which mediate stable adhesion, contact inhibition, and tissue organization in animals. I aim to reconstruct how cadherin-based adhesion first evolved in animals and was later co-opted to build organized tissues. Unicellular relatives of animals encode diverse cadherin-like proteins that often lack canonical cytoplasmic motifs for β-catenin binding, suggesting they may have functioned without stable cytoskeletal coupling. In these species, stage-specific expression of cadherins during aggregation and rosette formation suggests that ancestral cadherins may have enabled transient clustering and primitive contact signaling before true multicellularity emerged. I will test whether these ancestral adhesion systems laid the foundation for stable, cytoskeleton-coupled junctions in animals. I will combine three complementary approaches: 1) a bioinformatics survey of cadherin diversity and domain evolution; 2) a biochemical reconstitution and structural analysis to test homophilic adhesion and map binding interfaces; and 3) functional genetics experiments in unicellular holozoans to reveal cadherin roles and identify potential partners through interactome mapping. This project will provide the first experimental evidence for how primitive cell contacts evolved into the robust adhesion modules that shape animal growth and tissue integrity. Beyond cadherins, this work will create a framework for reconstructing ancestral protein functions that remain hypothetical in other systems.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
28006 Madrid
Spain
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