Understanding the role of transposable elements in establishing gene regulatory networks during early embryonic lineage commitment and segregation
| Title | Understanding the role of transposable elements in establishing gene regulatory networks during early embryonic lineage commitment and segregation |
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| Acronym | TEimplant |
| Website | https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/research/nicolas-rivron |
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| Sponsor | Horizon 2020 (H2020) |
| Institution | Institute of Molecular Biotechnology |
| Principal investigator | Nicolas Rivron
E-Mail: nicolas.rivron@imba.oeaw.ac.at Phone: +431790444320 |
Associated cell lines
Project Description
Embryonic development begins with a single fertilized cell, leading to a complete body plan following a series of morphogenetic events. Core genetic components such as transcription factors and signalling molecules exhibit a high level of conservation across vertebrates. However, comparative studies have highlighted characteristic species-specific variations during pre-implantation development even within closely related species such as human, mouse and marmoset. These studies suggested that even though a sequence of embryology appears similar, morphogenetic events differ significantly due to differences in underlying molecular mechanisms establishing species-specific gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that remain elusive due to inaccessibility to amenable embryo models. Here, I propose to take advantage of the newly developed three-dimensional human blastoid system and integrate the power of genetic manipulations and high throughput sequencing technologies to understand mechanisms by which GRNs are established and regulated during pre-and post implantation development. Our proposed study will have a special emphasis on characterizing the role of regulatory sequences derived from transposable elements and mechanisms employed by the embryonic system to utilize them for precise lineage segregation.