[GRANT] ERC “Advanced” Grants: two scientific projects from Lyon awarded

TEMPO*, the first project awarded, studies the development of plants; IGM focuses on the production of glucose by our body and its impact on our energy metabolism. The projects selected for this funding have an average budget of €2.5 million over five years.

TEMPO*: How plant cells set the tempo of rhythmic shoot construction

What rules govern the temporality of our growth, and more broadly that of any multi-cellular living being? This question is essential to understand how animals and plants construct their form. We indeed observe, in plants and animals, mechanisms of rhythmic production of tissues and organs, which draw organization according to a precise tempo. In plants, this rhythmic construction is not confined to embryogenesis, which leads to the germination of a seed: it is based in particular on an original mechanism which controls the tempo of the production of leaves and flowers. This mechanism allows the rhythmic creation of organs (leaves, flowers), with a well-defined frequency, thanks to a dynamic redistribution of a plant hormone called "auxin" at the end of the stems.

Main researcher: Teva Vernoux

Institutions involved: Plant Reproduction and Development Laboratory - CNRS / Inrae / ENS de Lyon)

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IGN: Intestinal Gluconeogenesis - emerging regulator of energy homeostasis

Obesity, diabetes and their complications are on the rise worldwide, seriously compromising healthy ageing. The production of glucose by our own body can be deregulated and this is one of the important reasons for hyperglycemia in diabetes. Three organs contribute to this endogenous glucose production: the liver, the kidneys and the intestines. IGN project scientists have discovered that intestinal glucose production (“intestinal gluconeogenesis”) has the ability to positively interfere in the control of energy metabolism, by initiating a gut-brain circuit carried by gastrointestinal nerves.

Main researcher: Gilles Mithieux

Institutions involved: Nutrition, Diabetes and Brain laboratory - Inserm / Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1

Find out more (FR)

Read the full press release on the CNRS website (FR)

More information on the ERC Advanced Grants 2023 recipients