Five projects at Vienna BioCenter have been granted Principal Investigator Projects by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). Three group leaders from Max Perutz Labs Vienna and two from the Faculty of Life Sciences – University of Vienna will receive funding for their work.
Additionally, an ESPRIT Fellowship was awarded to an Postdoc from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology.
Sebastian Falk
NRDE2 and CCDC174: Linking mRNA Splicing and RNA Degradation
The projectexplores how human cells detect and eliminate damaged RNA molecules resulting from errors in mRNA splicing. While splicing is a well-characterized step in gene expression, the mechanisms which ensure that only correctly processed RNA is retained remain unclear. Recent findings suggest that two proteins – NRDE2 and CCDC174 – may form a molecular link between the splicing machinery and RNA degradation by the exosome. Sebastian’s research aims to uncover how CCDC174 interacts with components of the spliceosome and how NRDE2 influences exosome activity to ensure defective mRNAs are degraded.
Sebastian explains: “Using advanced biochemical and structural biology methods, we will study how these proteins cooperate to achieve RNA quality control. Our work promises to deepen the understanding of how cells ensure the fidelity of gene expression through the coordinated action of splicing and RNA decay.” Notably, mutations in CCDC174 have been associated with severe developmental disorders in children, highlighting the project’s clinical relevance.
Robert Konrat
Paramagnetic NMR Spin Relaxation in IDPs
The project focuses on intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), a class of proteins that do not form stable three-dimensional structures. Their dynamic nature makes them inaccessible to X-ray crystallography or electron microscopy, necessitating alternative tools that can probe molecular motion. While nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has proven powerful in studying IDPs, Robert’s team aims to push its boundaries further by developing new spectroscopic probes to investigate the structural preferences and dynamic behavior of these proteins. The project will involve the design of novel paramagnetic relaxation interference (PRI) experiments and solvent paramagnetic spin relaxation methods to explore complex formation in IDPs and their electrostatic properties.
Robert says: “The tools developed are expected to provide new perspectives on IDP behavior and may be of use to the broader structural biology community.”
Peter Schlögelhofer
Non-cohesive roles of cohesin in meiotic prophase
The main goal is to explore how cohesin, a key protein complex best known for holding sister chromatids together, plays fundamental non-cohesive roles in organizing the genome during meiosis. These non-cohesive roles, conserved from bacteria to plants and humans, are crucial for the maintenance of chromosome architecture and the regulation of gene expression, but are not fully understood. Using yeast as a model system, the Schlögelhofer lab will examine how the cohesin regulator Scc2 (also known as NIPBL in humans) influences the structure of chromosomes during homolog pairing, a critical step in gamete formation.
They have found that, even when sister chromatids remain attached, chromosome organization collapses in the absence of Scc2 – suggesting that cohesion and chromosome architecture are separable. Remarkably, the collapse of chromosome architecture is reversible, enabling the live study of chromosome disassembly and reassembly with high-resolution imaging and genome-wide techniques. It is hoped that the work will shed light on the molecular origins of cohesinopathies like Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, which stem from mutations in cohesin regulators. The project aims to deepen the understanding of genome organization in meiosis, with the potential to provide crucial insights into conserved regulatory mechanisms across species.
Leonida Fusani (Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology)
Mating and bonding decisions in a challenging environment
Leonida Fusani’s FWF-funded project explores how King penguins, monogamous birds with high divorce rates, use courtship to rapidly assess potential mates in harsh breeding environments. The research challenges traditional views of mate selection by suggesting that, rather than seeking the best lifelong partner, penguins prioritize swift compatibility checks to maximize reproductive success.
The team will examine whether pairs that form early show more vibrant plumage, longer vocalisations and better synchronised movements, and whether these traits predict pair stability. They will also analyse hormone levels and genetic compatibility to reveal the connections between physiology and pairing outcomes. The project introduces cutting-edge methods to field-based behavioural research by using AI-driven audio-video analysis and advanced motion capture. This novel approach could transform theories of sexual selection and mate choice in birds.
More on Leonida Fusani
Oleg Simakov (Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology)
Emergence of novel gene regulation in the squid light organ
Genome evolution in cephalopods and the evolution of specialized symbiotic organs:In his latest FWF-funded project, Oleg Simakov explores how genome architecture drives the evolution of novel traits in cephalopods. The project aims to investigate whether ancient chromosomal rearrangements, which formed conserved gene neighborhoods in coleoid cephalopods over 270 million years ago, led to new regulatory properties. Focusing on the evolution of the light organ (LO) in the bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes, Simakov’s team intend to determine how changes in genome topology influence organ development.
Using cutting-edge comparative genomics approaches, such as micro-C and ATAC-seq analysis, the team will map regulatory landscapes and investigate whether certain genomic rearrangements also play a role in LO development. This innovative study could reveal how genome restructuring drives evolutionary innovation in complex organisms.
More on Oleg Simakov
Heidar Heidari Khoei, Postdoc in Nicolas Rivron’s lab
How lineage proportions regulate early human development?
Heidar Heidari Khoei was awarded an ESPRIT postdoctoral fellowship by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
The funding will support Heidari Khoei’s research on how the right balance of early cell types is established during the first stages of human embryonic development. The earliest weeks of life are critical for a successful pregnancy—at this stage, the embryo forms distinct cell types that give rise to both the fetus and the placenta. These different cell types must appear in the right numbers and work together to ensure proper organization, size, and patterning. Despite their importance, the biological principles that control how this balance is achieved and maintained remain largely unknown—especially in humans, where access to early-stage embryos is limited.
To address this, Heidari Khoei uses human blastoids—stem cell-based models that mimic key features of early embryogenesis and were developed in the Rivron lab at IMBA. These models offer a powerful and ethical platform to study early development. Heidari Khoei will study gene activity at the single-cell level to understand how different cell types emerge and function within the blastoid. He will also investigate how these cells communicate and regulate their metabolism, taking a systems-level approach to discover how cell behaviors are coordinated and balanced during the earliest stages of human development.
