Project description
Heterotrophic hosts and algal endosymbiont interactions in photosymbiosis regulation
Mutualistic relationships between heterotrophic hosts and phototrophic algal endosymbionts significantly impact global nutrient cycles. However, global warming is increasingly disrupting these associations. Understanding this phenomenon requires resolving how these relationships are established and broken down. The ERC-funded PhagoPhoRe project will explore the idea that algal endosymbionts can avoid being digested by the host cell by releasing photosynthates and mimicking ongoing digestion processes. It will investigate the role of host phagosome maturation processes and the relationship between algal nutrient release and host phagosome arrest. By leveraging recent advancements in cell isolation and culture techniques, the project aims to gain insights into the processes involved in establishing, maintaining and breaking down the cnidarian-algal symbiosis.
Objective
Photosymbioses between heterotrophic hosts and phototrophic algal endosymbionts have repeatedly and independently evolved across the tree of life. The immense productivity of photosymbioses affects global nutrient cycles, yet global warming is disrupting these nutrient-exchange symbioses, destabilizing the ecosystems they support. Heat stress erodes the metabolic controls underlying the establishment and maintenance of mutualistic carbon recycling in these symbioses. A link between endosymbiont nutrient release and their intracellular maintenance could thus explain the evolutionary establishment as well as the ecological collapse of photosymbioses in the Anthropocene.
Harnessing recent advances in cell isolation and culture techniques, PhagoPhoRe seeks to understand the processes underlying the establishment, maintenance, and breakdown of the cnidarian-algal symbiosis. Specifically, I will investigate the idea that the release of photosynthates enables algal endosymbionts to evade phagosomal digestion and autophagic immune responses of the host by mimicking ongoing digestion processes. In three complementary work packages that combine state-of-the-art single-cell transcriptomics, proteomics, and isotopic imaging techniques, I will: 1) Characterize the role of host phagosome maturation processes in the intracellular establishment and maintenance of algal endosymbionts. 2) Investigate the postulated link between algal nutrient release and host phagosome arrest and immune suppression. 3) Examine the drivers of co-evolution towards obligate metabolic interactions in photosymbioses.
Deciphering the interplay between symbiotic nutrient cycling and host phagosome maturation will be key to understanding the establishment and subsequent breakdown of photosymbioses. These processes are unlikely restricted to photosymbioses and could reveal fundamental mechanisms enabling the establishment of endosymbioses and, as such, eukaryotic life itself.
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.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
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.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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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
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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
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-STG
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27570 BREMERHAVEN
Germany
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