Awarded with 0.5 million Euro and a proposal rated as ranking “in the top 1-2% among the applications in the field worldwide”, Nico and his team are embarking on a groundbreaking study to understand the intricate patterns of gene expression oscillations that drive embryonic development and cellular response to stress.
Background.Gene expression is not a static, but dynamic process that fluctuates over time, enabling cells to adapt to changing conditions and to carry out specific functions. Oscillations in gene expression are particularly important in developmental processes, where they coordinate the precise timing of cellular events, for example by guiding the formation of body segments and the differentiation of various cell types during neuronal development. While it is evident that these oscillations are propagated to hundreds of downstream genes, the mechanisms controlling and limiting such propagation, as well as its broader implications, remain largely unexplored.
The approach.To explore the mechanisms driving gene expression oscillations, Nico and his team will employ a novel approach combining advanced experimental techniques and computational analysis. By utilizing metabolic labeling of RNA and single-cell RNA sequencing, they will be able to track gene expression dynamics at unprecedented resolution, thereby assessing how (a) random fluctuations can be distinguished from controlled oscillations and (b) transcriptional oscillations propagate through the genome and influence cellular behavior.
Impact.A better understanding of gene expression oscillations has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of various biological processes, for example by (i) identifying factors that regulate oscillations in embryonic development, (b) understanding how cancer cells disrupt normal oscillatory patterns, paving the way for the development of new therapeutic strategies and (c) unraveling the mechanisms underlying age-related diseases, as the aging process is associated with alterations in gene expression patterns.
Congratulations to Nico and his team – we are looking forward to what is coming next.