Objective
The respiratory chain alternative enzymes constitute additional pathways to the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system, in which oxygen consumption is uncoupled from ATP production. In contrast to the majority of eukaryotic organisms, including other invertebrate animals, vertebrates and arthropods lack any such alternative pathway. However, the expression of alternative oxidases and NADH dehydrogenases from urochordates and fungi in mammalian cultured cells and in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster has proven to be benign and to counteract deleterious effects of defective OXPHOS systems, inspiring therapeutic possibilities for mitochondrial and related diseases. The observed benefits are in paradox with the fact that genes for alternative enzymes were lost independently, early in the evolution of both Vertebrata and Arthropoda. I thus propose to investigate the functions of an animal alternative enzyme, the alternative oxidase (AOX), in two research fronts: 1) in studies with Ciona intestinalis (Tunicata: Ascidiacea), that will aim at understanding the biology of this enzyme in its natural “host”; and 2) in studies with transgenic fruitflies expressing the C. intestinalis AOX, which will focus on the possible negative effects caused by this enzyme on the metabolism and fitness of D. melanogaster. I will use a systems biology approach that combines a variety of molecular biology techniques to study general and mitochondrial metabolism under different stress conditions, and assays to test aerobic performance and measure the organism’s fitness, ultimately providing insights into the physiology and the evolution of the alternative pathways in animals.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology invertebrate zoology
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IIF
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Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
33014 TAMPERE
Finland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.