ERC Synergy Grant voor Cees Dekker
The European Research Council has awarded an ERC Synergy Grant to Cees Dekker (Delft University of Technology, Applied Sciences, Bionanoscience) for his research project GeneMotors – Genome control by DNA-looping motors: from folding to function.
The research focuses on SMC protein complexes, tiny molecular motors that extrude loops of DNA and are the key to controlling the expression of genetic information. By studying how these motors work, the researchers aim to:
unravel the basic molecular motor mechanism of the DNA-looping SMCs
disentangle the ‘control knobs’ that regulate their use in cellular processes
resolve how DNA looping by SMCs promotes gene regulation through long-distance communication along the genome
This ambitious program combines cell biology, biophysics, and modelling to tackle fundamental questions about genome function. This will impact fields from molecular motors to genetics and developmental biology, sparking advances that are likely to reshape our understanding of human development and disease.
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