Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship for Dr. Rita Alves
Rita Alves, postdoc in the Żylicz Group at reNEW Copenhagen has been awarded a Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship from the European Union. She will use this fellowship to uncover the requirement of nuclear metabolism for epigenetic and gene expression changes occurring at embryo implantation.
Cellular processes, such as protein synthesis from DNA, also known as gene expression, require energy production which occurs in the cytoplasm and mitochondria of cells via metabolic enzymes. Interestingly, metabolic enzymes have been found in the nucleus of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and in the developing embryo, suggesting a role beyond their normal function in energy production.
The nucleus contains our DNA and acts as the cell’s control center, regulating cellular functions, such as gene expression. However, how metabolism contributes to gene expression in different cell types is still unclear.
To study this, Rita Alves will generate ESC lines where metabolic enzymes will be degraded in the nucleus. By degrading metabolic enzymes only in the nucleus, she intends to unveil their role in regulating gene expression changes occurring in the early embryo.
Understanding the role of metabolic enzymes and metabolites during early development, could ultimately contribute for improving in vitro fertilization media – nutrients supporting the growth of cells in vitro – that can better replicate the in vivo environment of the developing embryo. Since only 22% of fresh embryo transfers result in successful deliveries (data from 2019, Europe), culture media optimization could potentially enhance the quality of embryos obtained through assisted reproduction technologies.