The team aims to understand how a special group of proteins known as SMC proteins pulls DNA into loops - literally. These proteins act like tiny molecular motors that continuously shape and rearrange the structure of our DNA. This looping is essential in processes such as gene regulation, cell division, DNA repair, and protection against viruses.
Within this project, Benjamin Rowland, group leader at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, will investigate how these proteins are controlled: which molecular ‘switches’ determine the time and location of these DNA loop formations. His collaborators at the partner institutes study the motors themselves at the atomic level, explore how they regulate gene activity, or build computational models to predict their behavior.
“We know that these proteins are essential for maintaining an organized genome,” says Rowland. “But how they actually work remains one of the big mysteries in biology. With this project, we hope to uncover that fundamental mechanism.”
By combining insights from biology, physics, and computer science, the researchers aim to discover how these small molecular machines govern the complex architecture of our genome; knowledge that may ultimately help explain what goes wrong in diseases such as cancer.
The European Research Council (ERC) awards prestigious grants to outstanding scientists across all disciplines. These grants support groundbreaking, curiosity-driven research. The ERC Synergy Grant funds up to four principal investigators to jointly tackle ambitious scientific questions that can only be solved through collaboration between complementary experts. It promotes interdisciplinary research and innovative ideas with high risk and high potential impact. Teams can receive up to €10 million over a period of six years.