Objective
Extremophilic (extreme-loving) organisms have evolved unique features to enable them to function in extreme environmental conditions. Despite much progress in understanding extremophilic protein structure, there is a lack of quantitative information on the conformational dynamics and flexibility of proteins in extreme environments, information which is crucial to develop an understanding of their functional capabilities. Understanding the physical mechanisms of extremophilic organisms and their remarkable preservation capability is not only of fundamental interest, but also pivotal to our abilities to rationally engineer or re-engineer biological materials for exploitation. This proposal aims to develop quantitative biophysical approaches to characterise the physical mechanisms of protein folding and stability in extreme environments. This is an ambitious program of work with great potential to lead to ground-breaking scientific breakthroughs in the fields of water and aqueous solutions, protein folding and protein adaption in extremophilic environments. A state-of-the-art, custom built force spectroscopy instrument will be used to examine the conformational dynamics of single extremophilic proteins. A newly built, state-of-the-art diffractometer at the ISIS pulsed neutron facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories in the UK will be exploited to uncover details of the structural architecture of extremophilic proteins and their surrounding solvent environment. The development of these methods will deliver fundamental insights into the mechanisms of extreme organisms, in addition to developing research tools that will be exploited in synthetic biology, industry and bionanotechnology. A unique collection of skills, together with a world class team of collaborators from across Europe, gives this proposal unrivalled ability to transform extremophilic protein folding research in Europe.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences synthetic biology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins protein folding
- natural sciences biological sciences biophysics
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
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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-2010-StG_20091028
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
LS2 9JT Leeds
United Kingdom
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.