Objective
Our intestinal tract is colonized by a myriad of microbes that exceed our body cells in number and coding capacity and have important metabolic and signaling functions. Analysis of the diversity of these microbes inside revealed more than 1000 species, some of which have developed intimate interactions that are operating at the mucus interface separating the intestinal and microbial cells. Notably, we sustain and stimulate these interactions by feeding our microbes inside by the production of large amounts of mucus that equal the undigested components of our diet in caloric value. The understanding of the mucosal interactions is of great importance as they affect our immune system, signal to the brain-gut axis and provide a protective barrier against pathogens. Hence, this project aims to obtain fundamental understanding in the diversity and function of our microbes inside with a focus on mucus-binding bacteria that are either indigenous in the human intestine or ingested as part of our diet. The project will capitalize on (i) the recently developed high-throughput functional (meta)genomics approaches for human subjects, (ii) the genomic characterization of the mucus-degrading species Akkermansia muciniphila, an emerging biomarker for a healthy intestine, and (iii) the genome-driven discovery that the paradigm probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), contains cell-wall extended pili that strongly bind mucus and signal to human cells. A novel screening system will allow isolation of LGG derivatives with altered mucus-binding that will be instrumental in cause effect and other mechanistic studies. Moreover, the results will contribute to detailed insight in how our microbes inside develop mutualistic interactions, allowing for the design of new food-based approaches.
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 genetics
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
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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.
ERC-2009-AdG
See other projects for this call
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.
Host institution
6708 PB Wageningen
Netherlands
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.