Project description
Seeing with electrons: illuminating bacterial structures with electron cryotomography
Cryogenic electron microscopy and electron cryotomography have revolutionised structural biology and cellular biochemistry. Using well-established model systems, they are offering groundbreaking insights into primarily hypothesis-driven, mechanistic problems. The EU-funded CryoET4Diversity project plans to develop electron cryotomography methods for use in microbial ecology that should advance understanding of cell-cell interactions. The project will study the role of unique bacterial tubulins in bacterium-ciliate symbiosis, multicellularity in magnetotactic bacteria and the diversity and role of contractile injection systems. CryoET4Diversity lies at the interface of structural biology and evolutionary biology. The ultimate aim is to establish electron cryotomography as a tool that enables scientists to conceive how genetic variations manifest in structural and functional diversity.
Objective
The cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) modalities of single particle analysis and cryo-electron tomography (cryoET) have revolutionized the fields of structural biology and cellular biochemistry, and they enabled groundbreaking insights into primarily hypothesis-driven, mechanistic problems, using well-established model systems. High-throughput sequencing technologies have revolutionized microbial community studies and changed our view of the diversity of life. In order to understand how microbes function and interact with other cells, however, sequencing- and cultivation-based techniques must be complemented with experiments that elucidate phenotypes in situ at the single-cell level.
In Aim 1, we will develop cryoET methods for their application to problems in microbial ecology. We will resolve technical challenges of cryoET application to complex environmental samples, including aspects of sample preparation, data collection, data analysis and data integration.
In Aim 2, we will apply the new methods to outstanding biological questions to advance our understanding of cell-cell interactions. We will study the role of unique bacterial tubulins in a bacterium-ciliate symbiosis, aspects of multicellularity in magnetotactic bacteria, and the diversity and roles of bacterial contractile injection systems.
This project resides at the interface of structural biology/biophysics and environmental/evolutionary biology. We will leverage the power of cryoET to generate three-dimensional images of cells in a frozen-hydrated life-like state, and at macromolecular resolution. The complementation with high-throughput and single-cell approaches from microbial ecology will allow us to make progress on specific biological questions. CryoET offers a new “sense” for the analysis of complex environmental samples. Our efforts will establish cryoET as a discovery tool that enables us to conceive how genetic variations manifest in structural and functional diversity.
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 biochemistry
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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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.
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.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
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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.
(opens in new window) ERC-2020-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
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.