Calcium Circuits and DNA Repair Pathways in Renal Cells: Multiparametric Approaches Using High-Content Analysis

• Grant number: 25/22870-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Niels Olsen Saraiva Câmara
• Grantee: Benedito Matheus dos Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/19435-3 - The role of DNA damage and mitochondrial function in vascular, immune and neurological ageing (DNA MoVINg), AP.TEM

Abstract

The project will investigate how noncanonical stressors (pH changes, osmotic variations, and mechanical stimuli) modulate Ca²¿ homeostasis in renal cells and their organelles (endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and lysosomes), and how this modulation affects genomic integrity and the activation of DNA repair mechanisms. Genetically modified cells expressing GCaMP calcium sensors, as well as cells loaded with fluorescent calcium indicators, will be used to enable real-time monitoring through high-resolution live-cell imaging. High-Content Screening (HCS) assays and multiparametric analyses will be employed to map phenotypic alterations, organelle remodeling, and the induction of genotoxic lesions. The DNA damage response will be characterized by quantifying repair markers (¿-H2AX, ATM/ATR, Rad51) and by assessing the gene expression of key components involved in these pathways. It is expected that data integration will define multiparametric phenotypic signatures of cellular stress, capable of distinguishing adaptive trajectories from processes leading to inflammation, fibrosis, or senescence.