Project acronym CHROMATINMODWEB
Project Functional and regulatory protein networks of chromatin modifying enzymes
Researcher (PI) Antonis Kirmizis
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS
Country Cyprus
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS2, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Proper and controlled expression of genes is essential for normal cell growth. Chromatin modifying enzymes play a
fundamental role in the control of gene expression and their deregulation is often linked to cancer. In recent years chromatin
modifiers have been considered key targets for cancer therapy and this demands a full understanding of their biological
functions. Previous biochemical and structural studies have focused on the identification of chromatin modifying enzymes
and characterization of their substrate specificities and catalytic mechanisms. However, a comprehensive view of the
biological processes, signaling pathways and regulatory circuits in which these enzymes participate is missing. Protein
arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs), which methylate histones and are evolutionarily conserved from yeast to human,
constitute an example of chromatin modifying enzymes whose functional and regulatory networks remain unexplored. I
propose to use complementary state-of-the-art genomic and proteomic approaches in order to identify the protein networks
and cellular pathways that are linked to PRMTs. In parallel, I will identify novel regulatory circuits and define the molecular
mechanisms that control methylation of specific histone arginine residues. I will utilize the yeast S. cerevisiae as a model
organism because it allows genetic, biochemical and genomic approaches to be combined. Most importantly, many of the
pathways and mechanisms in yeast are highly conserved and therefore, the findings from this study will be pertinent to
human and other eukaryotic organisms. Establishing a global cellular wiring diagram of PRMTs will serve as a paradigm for
other chromatin modifiers and is imperative for assessing the efficacy of these enzymes as therapeutic targets.
Summary
Proper and controlled expression of genes is essential for normal cell growth. Chromatin modifying enzymes play a
fundamental role in the control of gene expression and their deregulation is often linked to cancer. In recent years chromatin
modifiers have been considered key targets for cancer therapy and this demands a full understanding of their biological
functions. Previous biochemical and structural studies have focused on the identification of chromatin modifying enzymes
and characterization of their substrate specificities and catalytic mechanisms. However, a comprehensive view of the
biological processes, signaling pathways and regulatory circuits in which these enzymes participate is missing. Protein
arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs), which methylate histones and are evolutionarily conserved from yeast to human,
constitute an example of chromatin modifying enzymes whose functional and regulatory networks remain unexplored. I
propose to use complementary state-of-the-art genomic and proteomic approaches in order to identify the protein networks
and cellular pathways that are linked to PRMTs. In parallel, I will identify novel regulatory circuits and define the molecular
mechanisms that control methylation of specific histone arginine residues. I will utilize the yeast S. cerevisiae as a model
organism because it allows genetic, biochemical and genomic approaches to be combined. Most importantly, many of the
pathways and mechanisms in yeast are highly conserved and therefore, the findings from this study will be pertinent to
human and other eukaryotic organisms. Establishing a global cellular wiring diagram of PRMTs will serve as a paradigm for
other chromatin modifiers and is imperative for assessing the efficacy of these enzymes as therapeutic targets.
Max ERC Funding
1 498 279 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2016-06-30
Project acronym ComPAS
Project Commercial Patterns Across the Sea: The interdisciplinary study of Maritime Transport Containers from Cyprus and the elucidation of Mediterranean connectivity during the Late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age
Researcher (PI) Artemis GEORGIOU
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS
Country Cyprus
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2020-STG
Summary Ancient ceramic vessels are not merely lumps of clay that were formed and fired to be utilised at some point in the past. They represent vigorous discourses among raw materials, technological knowhow and the societies that produced and used them. In addressing the complexities inherent in archaeological ceramics, we attain an indispensable insight into past communities and the antiquity of our own society. Special-function vessels used in the transhipment of goods, termed Maritime Transport Containers (MTCs), can shed light on the multi-level mechanisms involved in ancient seaborne commerce. In the temporal and geographical context of the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age eastern Mediterranean (LBA-EIA, ca. 1650-750 BC), the highly visible hallmarks of the flourishing trade between sophisticated states are three distinct MTC types: the Canaanite Jars, Egyptian Jars and Transport Stirrup Jars, produced in the Levant, Egypt and the Aegean respectively. Cyprus was a key player within interregional commercial strategies, and its archaeological contexts have yielded prolific amounts of MTCs; however, the lack of a systematic study of these assemblages undermines our understanding of LBA-EIA Mediterranean interconnections.
The proposed project aspires to provide a holistic study of the Levantine, Egyptian and Aegean MTCs from the Cypriot contexts of the LBA-EIA periods, addressing their morphology, origin, contents, chronology, capacity, manufacture technology, marking strategies and depositional practices. The project implements an innovative methodology, integrating archaeological, scientific, and technologically advanced approaches to illuminate the production, circulation, and consumption of MTCs and their contents. Acknowledging MTCs as principal contributors to the study of interregional exchanges, the proposed research will elucidate the transformative character of ancient commerce, and will provide substantial insights on intercultural connectivity in the Mediterranean.
Summary
Ancient ceramic vessels are not merely lumps of clay that were formed and fired to be utilised at some point in the past. They represent vigorous discourses among raw materials, technological knowhow and the societies that produced and used them. In addressing the complexities inherent in archaeological ceramics, we attain an indispensable insight into past communities and the antiquity of our own society. Special-function vessels used in the transhipment of goods, termed Maritime Transport Containers (MTCs), can shed light on the multi-level mechanisms involved in ancient seaborne commerce. In the temporal and geographical context of the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age eastern Mediterranean (LBA-EIA, ca. 1650-750 BC), the highly visible hallmarks of the flourishing trade between sophisticated states are three distinct MTC types: the Canaanite Jars, Egyptian Jars and Transport Stirrup Jars, produced in the Levant, Egypt and the Aegean respectively. Cyprus was a key player within interregional commercial strategies, and its archaeological contexts have yielded prolific amounts of MTCs; however, the lack of a systematic study of these assemblages undermines our understanding of LBA-EIA Mediterranean interconnections.
The proposed project aspires to provide a holistic study of the Levantine, Egyptian and Aegean MTCs from the Cypriot contexts of the LBA-EIA periods, addressing their morphology, origin, contents, chronology, capacity, manufacture technology, marking strategies and depositional practices. The project implements an innovative methodology, integrating archaeological, scientific, and technologically advanced approaches to illuminate the production, circulation, and consumption of MTCs and their contents. Acknowledging MTCs as principal contributors to the study of interregional exchanges, the proposed research will elucidate the transformative character of ancient commerce, and will provide substantial insights on intercultural connectivity in the Mediterranean.
Max ERC Funding
1 254 300 €
Duration
Start date: 2021-06-01, End date: 2026-05-31
Project acronym OSSMA
Project Multiple Systems of Spatial Memory: Their role in Reasoning and Action
Researcher (PI) Marios Avraamides
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS
Country Cyprus
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH3, ERC-2007-StG
Summary The goal of the proposed project is to examine how the locations of the objects that constitute our environments are represented in memory and how such memories are used to support our actions in space. During the last three decades of research this topic has received a lot of attention by scientists from many disciplines, and over the years a number of theories have been formulated. However, our understanding of the nature and functioning of spatial memory still continues to change. More importantly, there exist empirical findings from two concentrations of research within spatial cognition that seem conflicting at first glance. On one hand, studies examining the organizational structure of spatial memory have shown that memories are encoded using allocentric reference frames; that is reference frames that encode the spatial relations among the objects of an environment. On the other hand, studies focusing on how people stay oriented towards their surroundings during locomotion suggest that egocentric representations (i.e., representations coding self-to-object relations) are involved. Recent models of spatial cognition have attempted to reconcile these findings by proposing multiple systems for spatial memory. In this project we will carry our a series of experiments in an attempt to gather empirical data to test the predictions of various theoretical models including a biologically-plausible two-system account of spatial memory that we have recently proposed (Avraamides & Kelly, in press). Drawing heavily from the literature on Stimulus-Response compatibility, this account combines the use of egocentric and allocentric representations to account for a wealth of data from all areas of spatial cognition.
Summary
The goal of the proposed project is to examine how the locations of the objects that constitute our environments are represented in memory and how such memories are used to support our actions in space. During the last three decades of research this topic has received a lot of attention by scientists from many disciplines, and over the years a number of theories have been formulated. However, our understanding of the nature and functioning of spatial memory still continues to change. More importantly, there exist empirical findings from two concentrations of research within spatial cognition that seem conflicting at first glance. On one hand, studies examining the organizational structure of spatial memory have shown that memories are encoded using allocentric reference frames; that is reference frames that encode the spatial relations among the objects of an environment. On the other hand, studies focusing on how people stay oriented towards their surroundings during locomotion suggest that egocentric representations (i.e., representations coding self-to-object relations) are involved. Recent models of spatial cognition have attempted to reconcile these findings by proposing multiple systems for spatial memory. In this project we will carry our a series of experiments in an attempt to gather empirical data to test the predictions of various theoretical models including a biologically-plausible two-system account of spatial memory that we have recently proposed (Avraamides & Kelly, in press). Drawing heavily from the literature on Stimulus-Response compatibility, this account combines the use of egocentric and allocentric representations to account for a wealth of data from all areas of spatial cognition.
Max ERC Funding
500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-10-01, End date: 2013-06-30
