In a significant advancement for UK bioscience, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has approved four innovative research projects through its Strategic Longer and Larger grants scheme.
With a total investment exceeding £20 million, this funding emphasizes BBSRC's commitment to supporting long-term frontier bioscience, aligned with its strategic priority to decode the fundamental rules of life.
The CircadiAgeing project investigates how disruptions in circadian rhythms—natural 24-hour cycles of physiological and behavioral patterns—affect aging and associated health issues. The project aims to reveal how these biological clocks deteriorate with age, influencing overall health, by examining both molecular aspects and less understood membrane-based mechanisms.
Employing interdisciplinary methods such as advanced genetic analysis and computational biology, the research team aspires to develop interventions that could restore the functionality of these biological clocks, promoting healthier aging and potentially mitigating age-related disorders.
Another project focuses on the complex interactions between plant cells and invasive pathogens that utilize haustoria—specialized structures for penetrating and manipulating plant cells. The research team intends to uncover how these pathogens evade plant immune responses and exert control over the host's cellular mechanisms. Mapping molecular exchange pathways and identifying key proteins could enhance understanding of plant-pathogen interactions, leading to innovative strategies to boost plant immunity and reduce crop losses.
Led by Daniel Macqueen from The University of Edinburgh, this initiative is part of a broader effort to understand the evolutionary significance of whole genome duplication (WGD), a phenomenon where an organism's entire DNA sequence is duplicated. This duplication is believed to have significantly contributed to the evolutionary success of both plants and animals, as duplicated genes can evolve distinct roles.
Focusing on rediploidization, the research aims to illuminate how these genetic events have influenced the diversity of life forms on Earth. The project is spearheaded by the Roslin Institute and aims to provide new insights into the genetic foundations of evolution.
Another investigation delves into the biochemical process of S-acylation, which entails adding fatty acid chains to proteins, thereby affecting their function and localization within cells. By studying how this modification impacts protein interactions and cell signaling pathways—particularly in neuronal, cardiac, and immune functions—the research aims to yield significant findings that could inform drug development targeting these pathways, potentially leading to breakthroughs in treating various diseases.
Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC Executive Chair, remarked on the importance of these projects in advancing bioscience research.