Project description
Engineering plant mitochondrial genomes
Plants contain mitochondrial genomes that are much more complex and larger than those of animal cells. Plant mitochondrial DNA undergoes frequent recombination and many of its genes have been transferred to the nuclear genome over evolution. The key objective of the ERC-funded PlaMitEng project is to make the mitochondrial genome of seed plants amenable to genetic engineering. Researchers will study plant mitochondrial gene expression and develop a technology for direct genetic transformation of the plant mitochondrial genome, which has been challenging due to the lack of a mitochondrion-specific selection system. By establishing a robust mitochondrial transformation method, the project will unlock the potential of mitochondrial biotechnology and synthetic biology.
Objective
PlaMitEng has the highly ambitious overall objective to make the mitochondrial genome of seed plants amenable to genetic engineering. The project consists of two complementary work packages (WPs). In WP1, TALEN-GDM, a technology for plant mitochondrial genome editing recently developed by us will be used to systematically study plant mitochondrial gene expression in vivo. The focus will be on translation initiation and translational regulation in mitochondria, the mechanisms of which are currently completely unknown. In WP2, PlaMitEng will develop a technology for direct genetic transformation of the plant mitochondrial genome. The mitochondrial genome is the only genome of the plant cell that, due to the lack of a mitochondrion-specific selection system, is not amenable to transformation and has remained recalcitrant to the insertion and expression of transgenes. Taking advantage of (i) our recent construction of a mitochondrion-specific selectable marker gene, (ii) the generation of a dedicated recipient line for mitochondrial transformation, and (iii) the design of a new transformation strategy (referred to as multivectorial transformation) that will enable the large-scale testing of expression elements for their suitability to drive the expression of mitochondrial transgenes in vivo, PlaMitEng will pursue the development of a robust technology for transformation of the plant mitochondrial genome. The possibility to express transgenes from plant mitochondrial genomes will open up entirely new opportunities in both basic and applied research, and pave the way to harnessing the enormous potential of mitochondrial biotechnology and synthetic biology.
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.
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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-2023-ADG
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.
80539 MUNCHEN
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.