Objective
Phages have the potential to be used in therapy because they can infect and kill pathogenic bacteria, including those resistant to antibiotics. Although phages are simple, details of their life cycle remain unknown. To start the infection, phages bind to and eject their genome into bacteria. During adsorption, the phage baseplate recognises receptors in the bacterial cell wall, and therefore determines the phage specificity. Structural knowledge of baseplates will enable the rational engineering of phage host range. Before ejection, the phage genome is stored inside the capsid under high pressure. Although numerous studies of genome ejection have been performed, the understanding of this process is still incomplete because, until now, no suitable methods for studying in vivo ejection existed. The adsorption and genome ejection are closely related processes that can only be best understood together.
In this project, hosted at Dr Plevka’s laboratory (CEITEC), I aim to determine the high-resolution structure of the phiKZ baseplate, one of the largest known bacteriophages, using cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy. The obtained structural information will be complemented by the characterisation of the genome ejection dynamics in vivo. For this purpose, I will use cryogenic Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy to quantify the amount of DNA in phage heads at various stages of the infection. Furthermore, I will also use holotomography to visualise the ejection dynamics.
There is still much to discover regarding bacterial adsorption and genome delivery. Thanks to my experience in phage and structural biology, I will integrate this project's results to shed light on the first steps of the phage life cycle, key to the infection of bacteria. My results will expand the understanding of phage infection and enable the retargeting of phages to specific bacterial strains, helping to develop phage therapy since antibiotic resistance is a rising health problem worldwide.
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 microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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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HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.4.1.5 - Fostering brain circulation of researchers and excellence initiatives
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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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-TALENTS-04
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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.
601 77 Brno
Czechia
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.