MUNCODD · Role of long non coding RNA in muscle differentiation and disease

The field of interest applies to the study of muscle differentiation and disease. The main objective of this project is to deepen our knowledge on the molecular networks controlling normal muscle differentiation, and to identify their alteration in pathology. The state of art in this field is thoroughly advanced since well-established master regulators (transcriptional factors and miRNAs) have been deeply characterized and integrated in regulatory circuitries controlling muscle development and differentiation. However, recent discoveries point to the hierarchically relevant role of a previously disregarded class of transcripts, named long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), in the control of gene expression.Therefore, a major objective of this project is to re-evaluate and re-design established molecular circuitries known to control muscle differentiation in the light of the contribution of this complex class of transcripts. In more general terms, the project will shed light on the biogenesis and function of lncRNAs and how they contribute to cellular and organismal biology.This is a very new and innovative field of research that holds promise for a significant increase in our understanding of basic molecular processes and should constitute a vast and largely unexplored territory for the development of novel therapeutics and diagnostics.