Czech Science Foundation
Standard grant projects - 33 projects
Junior grants - 10 projects
Lead Agency grant projects - 2 projects
EXPRO projects - 4 projects
The Czech Science Foundation (GACR) is an independent public organisation supporting basic research throughout all scientific fields from public funds. GACR is the only institution in the Czech Republic, which provides public funding exclusively for basic research projects. Since its establishment in 1993, GACR has provided financial support for both experienced as well as young and early-stage researchers.
The goal of EXPRO projects is to create favourable circumstances for development of excellent research, to set the standards of excellent science, to help to overcome barriers limiting the success rate of ERC project proposals, and to provide an opportunity to obtain valuable knowledge and experience for those interested in submitting highly prestigious European grant projects.
The Tender Document is to be found here.
Structural study of enterovirus replication in situ
- Principal Investigator: Mgr. Pavel Plevka, Ph.D.
- Project number: 19-25982X
- Project type: Czech Science Foundation, EXPRO
- Implementation period: 1. 1. 2019 – 31. 12. 2023
- Budget: 49 984 000 CZK
Project description:
Viruses from the genus Enterovirus, including coxsackieviruses and rhinoviruses, cause billions of infections every year. However, no anti-enterovirus treatments are available. We aim to structurally characterize enterovirus replication in situ to enable the identification of macromolecular interactions that could be targeted by therapeutics. We will use focused ion beam milling and cryo-electron tomography to determine: (1) how enteroviruses deliver their genomes into the cell cytoplasm; (2) whether enterovirus replication “factories” in infected cells contain the multi-subunit complexes of RNA-polymerases that were observed in vitro; and (3) whether enterovirus capsids assemble around genomes or if the genomes are packaged into capsids. To facilitate the cryo-electron tomography studies we will develop: (1) patterned grids to enable automation of the focused ion beam milling of cell sections; and (2) a method to embed macromolecules in rod-shaped vitreous ice to allow the recording of more complete tomographic data than is possible with currently used slab-shaped samples.
STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY – NEXT GENERATION: from isolated molecules to cells, from cells to tissues
- Principal Investigator: doc. Mgr. Lukáš Trantírek, Ph.D.
- Project number: 19-26041X
- Project type: Czech Science Foundation, EXPRO
- Implementation period: 1. 1. 2019 – 31. 12. 2023
- Budget: 37 921 000 CZK
Project description:
Our comprehension of biological mechanisms as well as our capacity to exploit this knowledge for devising of novel bio-materials, molecular devices and/or effective therapeutics, critically depends on a detail knowledge of fundamental principles that governs structure, stability and interactions of biomolecules in living cells. Historically, for methodological reasons, biological processes are either investigated at low resolution in biologically relevant systems (organisms, tissues) or at high-resolution on biomolecules isolated from their native cellular environment. Although recent methodological developments have allowed gaining high-resolution insight into structure and interactions of biomolecules in intact cells, this insight remains limited to prokaryotic organisms and mammalian cells either cryogenically frozen or living cells cultured in asynchronous populations. Influence of natively fluctuating composition of intracellular environment, as a result of propagation of the cell cycle or organization of cells into tissues, on biomolecules’ structure/function remains elusive.
Molecular and functional analysis of casein kinase 1 biology
- Principal Investigator: prof. Mgr. Vítězslav Bryja, Ph.D.
- Principal Investiagtors at CEITEC MU: prof. RNDr. Zbyněk Zdráhal, Dr., Konstantinos Tripsianes, Ph.D., Mgr. Jana Kotašková, Ph.D.
- Project number: 19-28347X
- Project type: Czech Science Foundation, EXPRO
- Implementation period: 1. 1. 2019 – 31. 12. 2023
- Budget: 49 976 000 CZK
Project description:
The aim of this project is to fill several major gaps in our understanding of casein kinase 1 (CK1) mediated cellular functions. CK1 acts as a component of several developmental pathways such as Wnt, Hedgehog or Yap/Taz that are important drivers of tumorigenesis. In this grant proposal we want to understand how CK1 gets activated and mediates the Wnt signalling pathway, a key signalling machinery dependent on CK1. Further, we will identify unique protein targets of individual CK1 isoforms in developmental signalling pathways, and analyse the biological consequences of the selective inhibition of CK1 isoforms in the context of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a disease with the proven sensitivity to CK1 inhibition. We will take advantage of the state-of-the-art integrated structural biology, RNA Sequencing and global proteomic analyses in combination with standard cell physiology techniques. This work will provide mechanistic insight into the role of CK1 isoforms and will pave the avenue for the use of isoform-specific CK1 inhibitors in the treatment of cancer.
Biogenesis and evolution of telomerase in plants
- Principal Investigator: prof. RNDr. Jiří Fajkus, CSc.
- Project partner: Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy Sciences
- Project number: 20-01331X
- Project type: Czech Science Foundation, EXPRO
- Implementation period: 1. 1. 2020 – 31. 12. 2024
- Budget: 49 540 000 CZK
Project description:
Telomere biology belongs to hot research topics due to its attractive links to cell ageing and immortality, genome stability, and pathogenesis of severe human diseases including cancer. Our research in plants contributed to this field, among other things, with the observations of: i) reversible regulation of telomerase activity and its coupling with cell proliferation; ii) evolutionary changes in plant telomere DNAs. Mechanisms underlying these phenomena, however, have not been known. The answer is presumably hidden in the most important telomere factor – the telomerase. Recently we identified templating telomerase RNA subunits across land plant phylogeny, which not only explains the observed evolutionary switches between diverse telomere repeats but allows us – in association with known catalytic telomerase subunits and other associated proteins – to address a problem of telomerase biogenesis in plants. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we aim to characterise distinct steps in telomerase assembly, with the focus on the presumed scaffolding role of telomerase RNA in this process.
| Project number | Project title | Principal investigator at CEITEC MU |
|---|---|---|
| 18-26981S | Genetic investigations towards molecular mechanism underlying strigolactone action in roots | Mgr. Jiří Friml, Dr. |
| 18-04197Y | Characterization of dynamical regions in RNA polymerase from Bacillus subtilis | Mgr. Pavel Kadeřávek, Ph.D. |
| 18-20134S | Interphase chromosome organization and early meiotic chromosome pairing in Brassicaceae species | prof. Mgr. Martin Lysák, Ph.D., DSc. |
| 18-12774S | Plasma polymers deposited on nanofibrous membranes for vascular tissue engineering | doc. Mgr. Lenka Zajíčková, Ph.D. |
| 18-08153S | Molecular basis of Staufen-mediated 3´UTR function | Mgr. PharmDr. Peter Lukavsky, Dr.rer.nat. |
| 18-05421S | Development of paramagnetic NMR spectroscopy for supramolecular systems | prof. RNDr. Radek Marek, Ph.D. |
| 18-17810S | Structural characterization of replication of Staphylococcus aureus phage in vivo | Mgr. Pavel Plevka, Ph.D. |
| 18-11397S | Molecular architecture of ADAR - RNA complexes | doc. Mgr. Richard Štefl, Ph.D. |
| 18-21791S | Back and Forth: Striking the balance between self and other goals in negotiation | Daniel Joel Shaw, Ph.D., M.Sc. |
| 18-07027S | Involvement of telomerase in the cell interactome | doc. Mgr. Miloslava Fojtová, CSc. |
| 18-02448S | The role of translation initiation factors in transcripts sequestration and activation in the male germline of angiosperm plants | Mgr. David Potěšil, Ph.D. |
| 18-07384S | From conformation to biological functions of HP1 protein | Mgr. Gabriela Lochmanová, Ph.D. |
| 18-01710S | Group interactions of azole pesticides and their effects on essential enzymes | doc. RNDr. Miroslav Fojta, CSc. |
The Tender Document is to be found here.
Project number | Project title | Principal investigator at CEITEC MU |
|---|---|---|
| 19-29701L | Dissecting the Role of HDAC1 in T cell Lymphoma | prof. RNDr. Zbyněk Zdráhal, Dr. |
| 19-23108Y | The impact of ethylene-cytokinin signaling crosstalk to Arabidopsis growth | Mgr. Markéta Žďárská, Ph.D. |
| 19-11880Y | Chromatin environment induced by genotoxic agents | Mgr. Martina Dvořáčková, Ph.D. |
| 19-16273Y | ROS-Induced Drug Release Based on Interactions of Ferrocenylboronates | Mgr. Karel Lacina, Ph.D. |
| 19-23424Y | Immunogenetics in the Next Generation Sequencing era: Deciphering the pathogenetic mechanisms in lymphoproliferative disorders | Vasileios Bikos, PhD. |
| 19-10976Y | Seed-agnostic miRNA binding site classification | Panagiotis Alexiou, PhD. |
| 19-21829S | Characterization of the molecular mechanisms of the human adenosine demethylases | doc. Mgr. Štěpánka Vaňáčová, Ph.D. |
| 19-24753S | Structure and function of hormone-regulated dirigent proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana | doc. RNDr. Jan Hejátko, Ph.D. |
| 19-16963S | A mouse genetic model to study the control of interferon and inflammation | Liam Keegan, PhD. |
| 19-07487S | The polyploid past versus diploid present: evolution and diversification of the southern African Heliophila | RNDr. Terezie Mandáková, Ph.D. |
| 19-08646S | Molecular portraits of major morphological components of colon tumors | prof. RNDr. Ondřej Slabý, Ph.D. |
| 19-20873S | Driver mutations in cancer genome of Nothobranchius furzeri: from tumor biology to concept of experimental model of spontaneous carcinogenesis | prof. RNDr. Ondřej Slabý, Ph.D. |
| 1-11931S | The role of miRNA in development of glutamatergic and GABAergic signaling after early-life seizures | prof. MUDr. Milan Brázdil, Ph.D. |
| 19-15737S | Alternative mechanisms of deregulation of the p53 pathway in chronic lymphocytic leukemia | prof. RNDr. Šárka Pospíšilová, Ph.D. |
| 19-12956S | Pivotal aspects of mycobacterial transcription: The promoter-recognizing subunit of RNAP, SigA, and its interactions with a newly identified factor | prof. Mgr. Lukáš Žídek, Ph.D. |
| 19-03442S | Ribosomal RNA genes - travellers in time and the genomes | RNDr. Terezie Mandáková, Ph.D. |
| 19-03488S | Working from a distance: engineering allosteric control on PDZ3 domain selectivity from ZO-1 | Konstantinos Tripsianes, Ph.D. |
| 19-05200S | Unraveling the thermoregulation of seed development in Brassica napus | Helene Roberte Boisivon, Ph.D. |
| 19-06632S | How hybridisation and allopolyploidisation affect the diversity in three Brassicaceae tribes | prof. Mgr. Martin Lysák, Ph.D., DSc. |
| 19-11299S | The role of transposable element activity in hematological malignacies | Ilgar Mamedov, PhD. |
| 19-21961S | Chemical modulation of Ku activity and its use in genome editing | Mgr. Jaroslav Fulneček, CSc. |
The Tender Document is to be found here.
Project number | Project title | Principal investigator at CEITEC MU |
|---|---|---|
| 20-20860Y | Unravelling novel intracellular trafficking regulators involved in plant stress response | Marta Zwiewka, B.A., M.Sc., Ph.D. |
| 20-16013Y | Simultaneous gene transcription and translation | Mgr. Gabriel Demo, Ph.D. |
| 20-03187S | Study of electrochemical and adsorption processes on nanostructured sp2 and sp3 carbon surfaces in relation to their physico-chemical characteristics | Mgr. Hana Pivoňková, Ph.D. |
| 20-12669S | Interactions defining physiological functions of Microtubule Associated Protein 2c at atomic resolution | prof. Mgr. Lukáš Žídek, Ph.D. |
| 20-20152S | Protein Affinity and Selectivity to Cellular Membranes | doc. RNDr. Robert Vácha, PhD. |
| 20-21581Y | The study of the mechanism of suppression of transcription-borne DNA damage by RECQL5β | Mgr. Marek Šebesta, Ph.D. |
| 20-19617S | The molecular mechanisms of noncanonical 3´terminal RNA tailing and its role in the metabolism of coding and noncoding RNAs | doc. Mgr. Štěpánka Vaňáčová, Ph.D. |
| 20-03419Y | Post-polyploid genome evolution in Microlepidieae species (Brassicaceae) | Xinyi Guo, PhD. |
| 20-18889S | Molecular and functional characterization of colorectal cancer derived-exosomes and exosomal long non-coding RNAs | Mgr. Petra Vychytilová, Ph.D. |
| 20-11101S | Elucidating the role of the RNA editing enzyme ADAR1 in novel biological pathways and determine its posttranslational regulation | prof. Mary Anne O´Connell, PhD. |
| 20-05789L | Characterization of intrinsically disordered proteins | RNDr. Mgr. Jozef Hritz, Ph.D. |
The Tender Document is to be found here.
Ing. Jana Slouková Project Administrator
| Phone: | +420 54949 5614 |
|---|---|
| E-mail: | jana.sloukova@ceitec.muni.cz |
| Office: |