Objective
Sequencing the genome of the model brown alga Ectocarpus siliculosus has afforded an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the molecular basis for metal tolerance in brown algae using a functional genomics approach. Despite the ecological relevance of brown seaweeds as pre-eminent primary producers, key bio-engineers and components of biofouling communities of temperate coastal waters, and their ability to grow in metal-polluted waters our attempts to unravel the underlying mechanisms of metal-tolerance have, until now, been hampered from a lack of genomic information. Four key objectives are proposed for this study: establish the degree of metal-tolerance (Cu, Cd), from measurements of growth and photosynthesis, in strains of E. siliculosus that have been collected from pristine and polluted sites and are maintained, axenically, in the Plymouth culture collection; investigate the cellular responses to oxidative stress resulting from metal-exposure by measuring the various components of the reactive oxygen scavenging system using biochemical assays and fluorescent cellular probes; investigate the involvement of the thiol- proteins, phytochelatins and glutathione, in metal homeostasis and detoxification, and activity of the enzyme phytochelatin synthase in different tolerant and non-tolerant strains; evaluate the expression patterns of specific genes (γ-Glutamylcysteine Synthetase, Glutathione Synthetase, Phytochelatin Synthetase) under metal stress conditions. The results of this research will offer new insights on the evolution of metal-tolerance and on the metal-induced defence mechanisms in a phylogenetically distinct and ecological important group of marine organisms. Moreover, the findings can be exploited for developing more sensitive monitoring tools to assess the health status of transitional marine waters.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology phycology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology homeostasis
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
- natural sciences biological sciences botany
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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.
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.
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.
FP7-PEOPLE-IEF-2008
See other projects for this call
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.
Coordinator
PL4 8AA Plymouth
United Kingdom
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.