Objective
Animal growth is modulated by environmental cues such as nutrient availability or temperature. Animals integrate these cues through hormonal signals that coordinate growth and metabolism across tissues. One such system is the anabolic IGF/PI3K/mTORC1 pathway, which promotes growth. We discovered in Drosophila that the circulating metabolite adenosine is a potent anti-growth hormone which counter-balances the activity of IGF. Levels of circulating adenosine increase when dietary amino acids are low, leading to systemic inhibition of growth via activation of AMPK and consequently inhibition of mTORC1.
These initial findings raise several fundamental questions which need to be addressed to understand how adenosine mediates the effect of environmental cues on organismal growth and metabolism:
(1) What biochemical pathways and what tissues generate adenosine under physiological conditions?
(2) Which environmental and pathophysiological cues beyond amino acid scarcity regulate adenosine levels?
(3) How does adenosine-AMPK signaling reshape metabolism, given AMPK’s influence on fatty acid oxidation, autophagy, protein synthesis, and more?
This work will reveal how adenosine functions as a counterbalancing hormonal brake to the IGF/mTORC1- anabolic program, providing a new framework for understanding how animals achieve a homeostatic balance between pro-growth and anti-growth signals in response to environmental cues. These mechanisms will likely be conserved across insects, which represent 80% of animal species on earth. Furthermore, they will lay the groundwork for exploring in the future whether adenosine regulates mammalian physiology via AMPK in addition to its known receptor-mediated effects.
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 chemical sciences electrochemistry electrolysis
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry amines
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Keywords
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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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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
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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-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-ADG
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69120 Heidelberg
Germany
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