Project description
Physical conflicts between DNA replication and transcription complexes
The polymerase complexes for DNA replication and transcription share the same template. Previous studies indicate that transcription polymerase complexes can arrest the progress of replication forks, leading to changes in gene expression and transmission. This EU-funded proposal focuses on these physical collisions at the molecular level. A novel inducible human cell-based episomal system will permit collision analysis to establish genetic consequences and factors that affect collisions. Investigation will also address the significance of collisions in disease initiation, mapping collision sites and defining associated genetic and chromatin changes in a breast cancer cell model as well as mouse embryonic cells. For novel therapies, the goal is to selectively avoid or establish cellular transformations.
Objective
Genetic and epigenetic instability contribute to cancers, aging, developmental disorders, and neurological diseases, so in-depth understanding how this instability arises is an important question affecting millions in Europe. Physical conflicts between the transcription and DNA replication machineries are a potent endogenous source of this instability.
My preliminary data indicate that a single collision can trigger long-term epigenetic changes and affect the normal expression state of genes. I hypothesize that collisions can rewire gene expression networks and lead to cellular transformations relevant to disease and development. Unfortunately, this mechanism is largely understudied owing to the lack of suitable cellular systems to characterize collisions in molecular detail. My proposal will address this key gap in knowledge.
I recently pioneered a unique human cell-based episomal system to analyse collisions in an inducible and localized fashion. Using this highly tractable system, we will molecularly characterize the (epi)genetic consequences and identify novel factors that prevent or resolve collisions (Aim 1).
To address the relevance of collisions in disease, we will establish a novel proximity-labelling system (Split-APEX2) to map collision sites and identify their associated genetic and chromatin changes in a breast cancer cell model. This cutting-edge technology will decipher their role in pathological transformations observed in breast cancer genomes (Aim 2).
To link collisions to developmental transformations, we will determine their potential to induce local epigenetic changes during zygotic genome activation in mouse embryonic cells. This approach can shift the paradigm how cells in development first start to differ from each other and reprogram their genome into different cell types (Aim 3).
Uncovering the key principles of collisions may implement highly innovative approaches to avoid or establish cellular transformations in disease and development.
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 genetics DNA
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
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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.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
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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-2019-STG
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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.
85764 Neuherberg
Germany
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