Max Koppers (FGA) was awarded an ERC Starting Grant by the European Union for his “RNA.ORG” project to investigate the molecular mechanisms that coordinate mRNA capture and translation in neurons.
The grant of 1.5M euro will allow him to expand his research group to further investigate how specific mRNAs are captured at specific subcellular locations in neurons.
Brain function requires precise regulation of the neuronal proteome, which involves localizing thousands of mRNAs to neurites for their translation at specific subcellular locations. The mechanisms that ensure the correct localization, capture and translation of mRNAs remain elusive. A better understanding is urgent since dysregulation of mRNA localization is increasingly emerging as a pathological event in neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
In this project, his group will use new genetic and imaging tools developed in the lab together with super-resolution microscopy, live-cell imaging and RNA sequencing to investigate how different organelles coordinate mRNA transport, localization and translation in neurons to support neuron function and survival. This will provide important new insights into the role of mRNA localization in neuron physiology and neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS.
The team’s website can be found here.