Objective
Many aspects of life's evolutionary history remain poorly understood, such as the emergence of complex eukaryotic life. The recent discovery of Asgard archaea in anoxic sediments has provided fundamental insights into this process due to their phylogenetic proximity to eukaryotes and their eukaryote-like protein repertoire. The cultivation of the first two anaerobic organisms from this group, both belonging to the Lokiarchaeia, provided support for their role in eukaryogenesis, especially with the detection of a eukaryote-like actin cytoskeleton. Despite these advances, there are still many unanswered questions, such as what was the environmental context of this process, especially considering that the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) preceded it. Some hypotheses suggest that mitochondria evolved in anoxic conditions, while others propose a link between higher cell complexity and rising oxygen levels. The Asgard archaea now considered closest to eukaryotes, namely the Heimdallarchaeia class and its subgroups Hodarchaeales and Kariarchaeaceae, are the only ones thought to be facultative aerobes, fueling this debate, though no cultured representatives exist. This proposal aims to deepen our understanding of oxygen-related processes in Asgard archaea, focusing on reactive oxygen species, and to use these organisms to better understand the ecological context of the rise of eukaryotic life. This will involve i) cultivation of the first facultative aerobic Asgard archaea, thought to be the closest to eukaryotes, ii) comparative phylogenetic analysis of Asgard archaea proteins involved in coping with oxygen, iii) biochemical characterization of these proteins using heterologous expression, iv) expression of these proteins in genetically tractable anaerobic archaea. This project will provide unique insights into the ecology and cell biology of our archaeal ancestors, leading to a transformative understanding of the environmental and evolutionary context of eukaryogenesis.
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.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences chemical sciences electrochemistry electrolysis
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
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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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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) ERC-2025-STG
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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.
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
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.