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Content archived on 2024-06-18

Origin of a cell differentiation mechanism and its evolution over 500 million years of life on land

Objective

The evolution of the first rooting systems approximately 470 million years ago was a critical event in the history of life on Earth because it allowed the growth of complex multicellular eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms – plants - on the surface of the land. Rooting systems are important because they facilitate the uptake of every chemical element in the plant body with the exception of carbon. The root systems of the
first land plants (liverworts) comprised a mass of unicellular tip-growing filaments (rhizoids) that grew from the plant surface into the soil. All root systems that evolved since then similarly comprise a system of tipgrowing filamentous cells located at the interface between the plant and the soil, indicating that the differentiation of filamentous root cells has been critical for root function for the past 470 million years. This proposal aims to characterize the origin and evolution of this essential cellular differentiation process. The proposed research is in three parts:
First we propose to define the mechanism that controlled the development of the first land plant root system by identifying genes that control liverwort rooting system (rhizoids) development and
characterizing their regulatory interactions.
Second we propose to determine if the mechanism that controlled the development of the first land
plant root system was inherited from algal ancestors.
Third we propose to characterize the mechanism that controls filamentous root hair growth in
Arabidopsis in response to environmental factors, and determine if it is conserved among land
plants.
In combination, these experiments will define the genetic mechanisms underpinning the development and evolution of one of the fundamental developmental processes in land plants.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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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.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

ERC-2009-AdG
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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.

ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant

Host institution

THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
EU contribution
€ 2 463 835,00
Address
WELLINGTON SQUARE UNIVERSITY OFFICES
OX1 2JD Oxford
United Kingdom

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Region
South East (England) Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Oxfordshire
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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.

No data

Beneficiaries (1)

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