URC-Hypoxia · Unlocking the Redox Code: Mapping the Molecular Mechanisms of Hypoxia Tolerance

Hypoxia, the condition of inadequate oxygen availability, has profound implications for life on Earth. It contributes to biodiversity loss and is a key factor in many human diseases, including stroke and other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, which are leading causes of death and disability in the EU. The URC-Hypoxia project aims to explore the molecular mechanisms that enable certain organisms, like the waxworm Galleria mellonella, to be resilient to hypoxia. By studying how these organisms survive hypoxia through the ""Preparation for Oxidative Stress"" (POS) adaptive response, the project seeks to characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying POS. This knowledge might be relevant in finding biomarkers and putative target molecules to improve hypoxia-related human diseases. The project will test the hypothesis that early reactive oxygen species (ROS) production under hypoxia triggers redox-sensitive signaling pathways, leading to POS as part of the cellular stress response. This will be explored using transcriptomics, proteomics, and oxidative modification mapping techniques. Key objectives include: (1) Characterizing anoxia tolerance in Galleria mellonella and identifying key windows for redox signaling events