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H2020Doctoral network2018–2023

PERICO · Peroxisome Interactions and Communication

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2018-10-01 → 2023-03-31
EU contribution
€3,974,527
Participants
16
Scheme
MSCA-ITN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Peroxisome Interactions and Communication

PERICO aimed to train a new generation of highly qualified ESRs with entrepreneurial competencies in the field of Molecular Life Sciences through state-of-the-art research projects focusing on the identification and functional characterization of peroxisomal contact sites, their functions and regulation. Peroxisomes are cell organelles that occur in almost all eukaryotes and play key roles in metabolism. Common peroxisome functions are the degradation of fatty acids and hydrogen peroxide. Specialized functions include bile acid biosynthesis in mammals, photorespiration in plants, penicillin biosynthesis in filamentous fungi and, as glycosomes, glycolysis in Trypanosomae. Peroxisomes also fulfil crucial non-metabolic roles, e.g. in stress response, cellular signalling and ageing. From their diversity of functions, peroxisomes cannot function in isolation but rather must communicate and interact extensively with their environment to exchange metabolites and coordinate cellular responses. Membrane contact sites, where membranes of two organelles are physically tethered to enable rapid transfer of small molecules, enable organelle communication and are crucial for coordination of cellular functions and hence human health. Often, at these contact sites there is an accumulation of transport proteins that enable rapid and regulated metabolite exchange. The knowledge generated in the PERICO network can be used to develop novel leads for drug discovery and therapies for a growing list of serious human diseases in which peroxisomes have been implicated such as age-related disorders, metabolic disorders (including severe malnutrition on the one hand and obesity on the other) and pathogenic trypanosomal infections (e.g. sleeping sickness), where glycosomal contact sites are attractive novel targets for drug design. The main aims of PERICO were: I. To understand the role of physical contacts between peroxisomes and other organelles in controlling cellular metabolism II. To characterize the role of peroxisomal transporter proteins in cellular metabolism III. To understand the significance of peroxisome communication in health and disease

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

PERICO fosters education of ESRs in a project to uncover how a central metabolic organelle, the peroxisome, participates in controlling cellular metabolism. It trains 15 ESRs at world-leading academic institutions, including university hospitals, and companies, thus forming strong interdisciplinary links between industry, life and medical sciences, and end-users.PERICO aims to train a new generation of highly qualified ESRs with entrepreneurial competencies in modern Life Sciences through state-of-the-art research projects focusing on the communication between peroxisomes and the rest of the cell – required to enable optimal metabolic decisions - and to use this knowledge to develop novel leads for drug discovery and therapies for a growing list of serious human diseases in which peroxisomes have been implicated. The new field on organelle communication requires highly skilled scientists who have expert knowledge on more than one discipline (e.g. cell biology, biochemistry, systems biology and medical sciences), more than one type of cell organelle or more than one model organism to optimally translate their research data to other disciplines and sectors, including medicine.PERICO overcomes current barriers by establishing a strong, multidisciplinary and inter-sectoral training network, developing technologies tailored to solve key questions in organelle biology. The PERICO programme will exploit recent developments in high throughput and genome wide screening technologies, combine these with modern molecular cell biology and systems biology and ultimately translate the data into new leads for drug discovery and therapy. This specific cross-disciplinary training program will educate young scientists to a next level, which is needed to advance this research field for the upcoming decennium and to efficiently translate findings into applications. The training programme will be complemented with a complete set of transferable skills.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN · GroningenCoordinatorNetherlands
  • ACADEMISCH MEDISCH CENTRUM BIJ DE UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM · AmsterdamNetherlands
  • ACADEMISCH ZIEKENHUIS GRONINGEN · GroningenNetherlands
  • ALBERT-LUDWIGS-UNIVERSITAET FREIBURG · FreiburgGermany
  • BIOFACTION KG · WienAustria
  • JULIUS-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAT WURZBURG · WuerzburgGermany
  • KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN · LeuvenBelgium
  • LAMBERT INSTRUMENTS BV · GRONINGENNetherlands
  • LIFEGLIMMER GMBH · BERLINGermany
  • MS-OMICS APS · VEDAEKDenmark
  • NOVARTIS PHARMA AG · BaselSwitzerland
  • OROBOROS INSTRUMENTS GmbH · InnsbruckAustria
  • RUHR-UNIVERSITAET BOCHUM · BochumGermany
  • THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER · ExeterUnited Kingdom
  • The Hospital for Sick Children · TorontoCanada
  • WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE · RehovotIsrael

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union