CINCHRON — Comparative INsect CHRONobiology

Results in brief

Comparative INsect CHRONobiology

ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE IN INSECT CHRONOBIOLOGY Insects and mammals share molecular machinery that generates circadian rhythms in behaviour and physiology. Biological timing has a major impact in human physical and psychological well-being, as well as in the economy of the ’24-hour’ society. Studying insect clocks is a faster, cost-effective and ethical way of learning about mammalian clocks. During the action substantial advances were made that contributed to the publication of 16 Open Access papers. PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL Insects cause serious damage to crops and compromise food production. Due to climate change, tropical insects are expanding their ranges to temperate regions, including Europe, bringing diseases (eg malaria and Dengue fever). The seasonal timekeeping determines when the insects enter diapause, the equivalent of mammalian hibernation and shares molecular components with the 24 hour circadian clock. Manipulating this seasonal response would provide a tool to control these insects, so several of the species we study are agricultural pests or have implications for pest control. The implementation of our projects in the non-traditional model organisms, Pyrrhocoris apterus, Drosophila suzukii, Acyrthosiphon pisum, and Nasonia vitripennis has led to the identification of new molecules and neurotransmitters involved in seasonal timekeeping. Furthermore, in pea aphids the first physiological link between the central clock and the photoperiodic system was identified. DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE RESEARCHERS Our ESRs became familiar with an extensive set of multidisciplinary skills, and, together with their exposure to the private sector, will enhance the pool of highly skilled, young European researchers. The outbreak of COVID-19 affected our activities for most of the second reporting period. Despite this, at the end of the action, all our students (except ESR10 who was re-appointed mid 2020) have defended their PhD thesis and been awarded their doctorate, or are in the process of writing up their thesis to be examined by the end of 2023. Our ESRs have been exposed to a wide range of courses and presented and brainstormed their data regularly to all partners and scientific advisers, with each contributing a different skillset. Finally, they have been exposed to the commercial sector by attending webinars organised by our Associate Partners, and some have undergone an internship at Oxitec, UK.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Chronobiology is the study of biological rhythms. The best understood cycles are those with circadian 24 hour periods that modulate the temporal dynamics of physiology and behaviour of all higher organisms. Four model organisms have been widely used to study the underlying molecular biology of endogenous circadian clocks, Cyanobacteria, the fungus Neurospora, the fruitfly Drosophila, and the mouse. Insect clocks, both circadian and seasonal, are vital for adaptation to the environment and recent global patterns of climate change mean that insect pests and vectors of disease are expanding their ranges into Europe. Consequently there is an urgent need to study the circadian clocks of these insects and how they synchronise to the environment. CINCHRON will create an integrated European centre of excellence for the research training of ESRs in the emerging multidisciplinary field of Comparative INsect CHRONobiology. CINCHRON will bring together molecular neurogeneticists working predominantly with Drosophila, and comparative biologists who study circadian and seasonal clocks of non-model insects of economic importance. These researchers have different approaches so we will harness their different skills for mutual benefit via the integrated training of their ESRs in association with industrial partners. This will be done by high level interactions between university and industry, as well as interactions among laboratories with different areas of expertise, thereby connecting the different sectors (academic and commercial) as well as different disciplines. The goal is to seed-corn the next generation of researchers with highly trained, flexible workers in cutting edge technological methods and complementary generic skills that will support European academic, academic-related and industrial institutions. CINCHRON will therefore contribute to the integration and cohesion of future European research efforts in solving pure and applied biological problem.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER · LeicesterCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
BIOLOGICKE CENTRUM AV CR VVI · Ceske BudejoviceCzechia
BioBee Sde Eliyahu Ltd · Kibbutz Sde EliyahuIsrael
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
CONSIGLIO PER LA RICERCA IN AGRICOLTURA E L'ANALISI DELL'ECONOMIA AGRARIA · ROMAItaly
JULIUS-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAT WURZBURG · WuerzburgGermany
Oxitec Limited · OxfordUnited Kingdom
RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN · GroningenNetherlands
THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM · JerusalemIsrael
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA · PadovaItaly
UNIVERSITAET MUENSTER · MuensterGermany
UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA · ValenciaSpain
UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA · HaifaIsrael
UNIWERSYTET JAGIELLONSKI · KrakowPoland

CINCHRON · Comparative INsect CHRONobiology

Results in brief

Comparative INsect CHRONobiology

Project objective

Participants

Links