Project description
Combatting crop fungi with new RNA-based solutions
Plants face an escalating threat from fungal pathogens, leading to significant crop losses globally. Despite widespread fungicide use, these losses persist, exacerbated by climate change and the rise of fungicide-resistant strains. Traditional RNA interference tools, while effective, lack specificity, hindering targeted antifungal resistance. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the FunSynVIGS project pioneers a GMO-free approach that uses viral vectors to deliver highly specific artificial small RNAs, potentially revolutionising crop protection against pathogens like Botrytis cinerea. Through optimisation in Nicotiana benthamiana and subsequent application in tomato plants, the project aims to revolutionise crop protection strategies. Success promises a new era of environmentally friendly, highly efficient fungicides, securing both current and future food sources.
Objective
Plants are threatened by a plethora of pathogens, with fungi accounting for important crop and post-harvest losses worldwide. Despite widespread spraying of fungicides, losses keep rising in the current warming world and the increasing use of chemical (and toxic) fungicides favours the emergence of resistant fungi strains. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop a new generation of highly efficient and environmental-friendly fungicides for securing present and future food availability.
Classic RNA interference (RNAi) tools based on double-stranded RNA have been used for inducing antifungal resistance in plants, despite their lack of high specificity. More modern and highly specific RNAi tools are based on artificial small RNAs (art-sRNAs). Art-sRNA tools have been optimized mainly for high efficacy and transgenic use but are not well adapted for GMO-free application and have not been used yet for inducing antifungal resistance in plants.
FunSynVIGS seeks to develop a novel, GMO-free RNAi technology consisting in systemic, viral vector-based fungicides expressing art-sRNAs for plant immunization against pathogenic fungi. The specific objectives are:
(1) The development and optimization of viral vector-based fungicides expressing art-sRNAs against Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of the gray mold disease, in the model plant species Nicotiana benthamiana.
(2) The application of viral vector-based fungicides for immunizing tomato plants against B. cinerea.
Successful completion of these objectives will provide a novel class of mobile RNAi-based fungicides for inducing highly efficient antifungal resistance in crops.
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.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology immunisation
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
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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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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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.
28006 MADRID
Spain
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.