Project description DEENESFRITPL Photosynthesis regulation in secondary algae Secondary algae refer to photosynthetic organisms that have acquired the ability to perform photosynthesis through endosymbiotic events between of primary algae and eukaryotic organisms. Secondary algae are distinct from primary algae that are the original photosynthetic organisms, but nonetheless play a significant role in carbon fixation on Earth. While the regulation of photosynthesis is well understood in primary algae, further investigation is needed into the regulatory mechanisms that operate in secondary algae. Funded by the European Research Council, the BEAL project aims to characterise and compare the regulation of photosynthesis, respiration and fermentation in secondary algae. Project findings will offer crucial insights into the growth of secondary algae and help understand marine phytoplankton complexity. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective During the course of eukaryote evolution, photosynthesis was propagated from primary eukaryotic algae to non-photosynthetic organisms through multiple secondary endosymbiotic events. Collectively referred to as “secondary algae”, these photosynthetic organisms account for only 1-2% of the total global biomass, but produce a far larger part of the global annual fixation of carbon on Earth.ATP is the universal chemical energy carrier in living cells. In photosynthetic eukaryotes, it is produced by two major cellular processes: photosynthesis and respiration taking place in chloroplasts and mitochondria, respectively. Both processes support the production of biomass and govern gas (O2 and CO2) exchanges. On the other hand, anaerobic fermentative enzymes have also been identified in several primary and secondary algae. The regulation modes and interactions of respiration, photosynthesis and fermentation are fairly well understood in primary green algae. Conversely, the complex evolutionary history of secondary algae implies a great variety of original regulatory mechanisms that have been barely investigated to date.Over the last years my laboratory has developed and optimized a range of multidisciplinary approaches that now allow us, within the frame of the BEAL (BioEnergetics in microALgae) project, to (i) characterize and compare the photosynthetic regulation modes by biophysical approaches, (ii) use genetic and biochemical approaches to gain fundamental knowledge on aerobic respiration and anaerobic fermentative pathways, and (iii) investigate and compare interconnections between respiration, photosynthesis, and fermentation in organisms resulting from distinct evolutionary scenarios. On a long term, these developments will be instrumental to unravel bioenergetics constraints on growth in microalgae, a required knowledge to exploit the microalgal diversity in a biotechnological perspective, and to understand the complexity of the marine phytoplankton. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyphycologynatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsspectroscopyabsorption spectroscopynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbotanyengineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybioprocessing technologiesfermentation Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-CoG-2015 - ERC Consolidator Grant Call for proposal ERC-2015-CoG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant Host institution UNIVERSITE DE LIEGE Net EU contribution € 1 837 625,00 Address PLACE DU 20 AOUT 7 4000 Liege Belgium See on map Region Région wallonne Prov. Liège Arr. Liège Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 837 625,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITE DE LIEGE Belgium Net EU contribution € 1 837 625,00 Address PLACE DU 20 AOUT 7 4000 Liege See on map Region Région wallonne Prov. Liège Arr. Liège Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 837 625,00
