Project description
Understanding vesicular mechanisms in marine animal cells
Biomineralisation is responsible for the generation of CaCO3, impacting the planet's geology and carbon cycle. Marine calcifiers create biominerals by synthesising CaCO3 from seawater Ca2+ and metabolic CO2. However, the regulation of carbonate chemistry in calcifying vesicles remains unknown. The EU-funded CarboCell project aims to identify and comprehend the intricate mechanisms of vesicular calcification. Leveraging unique methodological expertise, the project will explore the cellular physiology of calcifying systems, focusing on the sea urchin larva as a robust model organism that exemplifies the intracellular formation of CaCO3. The project will investigate the mechanisms of vesicular calcification in three core areas: carbonate chemistry, ion/CO2 transport mechanisms, and vesicular volume regulation and trafficking.
Objective
The process of biomineralization has profound impacts on the geology of our planet and is an integral part of the global carbon cycle by generating large amounts of CaCO3 bound in coral reefs, chalk mountains and deep sea sediments. Mounting evidence demonstrate that many marine calcifiers generate biominerals by the intracellular formation of CaCO3 from seawater Ca2+ and metabolic CO2. To date, the underlying mechanisms that control the carbonate chemistry in calcifying vesicles are unknown which however will provide ground-breaking insights into a biological process that is capable of transforming a metabolic waste product - CO2 - into a versatile construction material.
In the past 5 years my group has developed a unique methodological expertise to study the cellular physiology of calcifying systems. Building on this expertise CarboCell will tackle the important but challenging task to identify and understand the mechanisms of vesicular calcification. The sea urchin larva will serve as a powerful model organism, that represents a prime example for the intracellular formation of CaCO3 and which allows us to employ specifically targeted molecular perturbations in combination with sub-cellular ion and pH recordings. CarboCell will take a stepwise strategy to systematically examine the mechanisms of vesicular calcification on the three main core subjects- carbonate chemistry (WP1), ion/CO2 transport mechanisms (WP2) and vesicular volume regulation and trafficking (WP3).
CarboCell will provide a deep mechanistic understanding of the calcification process with strong implications for explaining and predicting responses of marine calcifiers to the global phenomenon of ocean acidification. More importantly, knowledge about the mechanisms that allow organisms to transform CO2 into a construction material will pave the ground for novel, biology-inspired solutions of CO2 capture and utilization – a basic science approach at the core of twenty-first century concerns.
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
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences planets
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geology
You need to log in or register to use this function
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.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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-2022-COG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
24118 Kiel
Germany
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.