Project description
Plants that produce their own nitrogenous fertilisers
The Haber-Bosch process is the main industrial ammonia production pathway, which is essential to nitrogen fertiliser production and the global food supply. It requires gaseous nitrogen and hydrogen and an iron-based catalyst at high temperature and pressure, resulting in tremendous energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and ecological problems. Nitrogenases fix nitrogen but are only present in prokaryotes. The ERC-funded GOFIXIT project aims to establish the recombinant production of a complete nitrogenase enzyme system in a heterologous host, specifically food crops. GOFIXIT will produce the enzyme components, analyse them and develop the pathway from synthesis and maturation to transfer and insertion of the catalytic metal centres that are unique to these enzymes.
Objective
Biological nitrogen fixation is nature’s alternative to the industrial Haber-Bosch process that currently feeds at least half of the human world population through the provision of nitrogen fertilizers. In addition to its high energy demand, the process increasingly leads to various ecological problems, as its annual output steadily grows with demand. Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis leads to the release of the greenhouse gases CO2 and N2O and to eutrophication of waters and aquifers because a substantial portion of nitrogen is lost to competing chemical and biological processes. One solution for this is to transfer the enzyme directly into food crops.
GOFIXIT will establish the recombinant production of a complete nitrogenase enzyme system in a heterologous host and make a link to central metabolism, effectively converting the host into a functional diazotroph. Nitrogenase is a two-component metalloenzyme that is uniquely able to reduce chemically inert, atmospheric N2 into its bioavailable form, ammonium. It occurs only in prokaryotes, is highly sensitive to O2, and it requires large amounts of metabolic energy in form of ATP and a strong reduct-ant for catalysis. To obtain a functional production system, all these points must be addressed in parallel. Based on our long record of research on nitrogenases, we are ideally positioned to succeed, focusing on our unique competence in preparative protein biochemistry and analysis. We have produced, isolated, and structurally characterized all three nitrogenase isoforms, and developed the spectroscopic and structural tools for a detailed analysis of their intricate metal cofactors. GOFIXIT focuses on the production of the enzyme components, and based on their analysis chooses, tunes, and applies the required accessory machineries for the synthesis, maturation, transfer, and insertion of the catalytic metal centres that are unique to this class of enzymes.
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.
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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.
79098 Freiburg
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.