Objective
Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance are major threats to human health. These conditions are linked to obesity and poor diet but also have major genetic components. To date, most knowledge of the genetics of sugar metabolism and diabetes comes from epidemiological studies of humans and lab studies of mice. However, novel powerful insights might also be obtained by studying novel non-model species that have undergone evolutionary adaptations for subsisting on high sugar diets. Among mammals, bats are unique in their range of dietary specialisations with up to eight lineages having independently evolved nectar-feeding (‘nectarivory’). Yet how these bats are able to survive on high sugar diets, and regulate their blood sugar to resist the damaging effects of glucose toxicity, is not understood. To discover the genes and mutations that confer these abilities in bats, we will use state-of-the-art cross-species targeted genome-capture to obtain thousands of orthologous sequences from all nectar-feeding fruit bats and their non-nectar feeding relatives. We will first identify genes showing signatures of molecular adaptation for each key branch associated with the acquisition of nectar feeding. Second, we will compare these sets of genes, and their respective protein-protein interaction networks, to determine whether divergent bats have evolved nectarivory by recruiting the same genes and pathways. Our findings will improve our understanding of how natural selection has driven dietary specialisation in mammals, and will also shed light on whether related metabolic diseases arise via mutations occurring at the same sites, or instead arise from the disruption of more evolutionarily conserved sites that have not been subject to molecular adaptation.
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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences biological morphology comparative morphology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins proteomics
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules carbohydrates
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
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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-2016
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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.
E1 4NS London
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.