ERC Starting Grant · 2025
Transposable Elements as Architects Shaping Embryonic development
The formation of a functional embryo is dictated by precise genetic and morphogenetic events. Yet, focusing solely on gene expression does not seem sufficient to explain all developmental phenotypes. Mobile genetic elements (or transposable elements, TEs) have been little studied in the context of cellular differentiation and organogenesis. I propose that TEs contribute to embryo formation, both in physiological and pathological contexts. Nearly all eukaryotic genomes contain TEs, which account for roughly half of the mammalian genome. TEs are involved in early pre-implantation development as well as pathologies such as cancer and aging, but their role in the post-implantation embryo is…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.