Objective
Habituation, a simple form of learning, enables organisms to ignore stimuli that prove inconsequential over time, without losing perception. Thereby, it allows focusing on novel or salient inputs. Remarkably, beyond neural organisms, where it is pervasive, habituation is also present in unicellular organisms. Budding yeast cells, for example, habituate to sexual pheromone signals when failing to find an appropriate mating partner. Therefore, habituation is thought to be a basal cognitive process widely shared in living organisms. However, the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms are still unclear.
Here, we will take advantage of the rich cell biology of yeast, the power of its molecular genetics, and our precise knowledge of yeast pheromone signaling to decipher how single cells learn to identify and ignore futile stimuli. Building on preliminary studies that identified a network of ~ 250 genes controlling diverse aspects of pheromone habituation, we will address the following objectives:
- Dissect how the habituation network propagates and decomposes the pheromone signal, represents and stores the obtained information, and reshapes cellular behavior over time.
- Characterize the functional relevance of habituation for mating, particularly during sexual competition and partner choice.
- Determine whether this large network is trainable. Specifically, we will ask whether yeast cells can learn over successive trials to discriminate advantageous from disadvantageous partners (such as in- and out-of-species partners, respectively) and how the epigenetic components of the habituation network contribute to this process.
Together, by providing deep mechanistic and functional understanding of habituation in a unicellular eukaryote, we will generate a framework for studying basic cognition mechanisms, impacting fields as diverse as neurobiology, immunology, behavioral ecology of unicellular organisms, and the emergence of basal cognition mechanisms in evolution.
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 neurobiology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences behavioural ecology
- social sciences psychology cognitive psychology
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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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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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-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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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.
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
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.