Objective
Secondary lipid metabolites such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are specialised fats that are essential for any organism optimal physiological functions. PUFAs are indeed vital for human normal development and functioning of the brain and the central nervous system, and are consumed as nutraceuticals for their numerous health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory actions. The current major sources of PUFAs (fish, algae and fish oil products) are threatened by global warming, pollution and overfishing, therefore novel and sustainable sources are sought after. PUFAs are biosynthesised de novo in bacteria by multifunctional iterative enzymes, the polyunsaturated fatty acid (Pfa) synthases. Despite the enormous interest in these enzymes and their products, Pfa biocatalysis remains poorly understood due to the inability of acquiring direct information on the nature and on the processing of the biosynthetic intermediates. This lack of knowledge hampers the full utilization of the biocatalysis and of sustainable resources for essential fatty acids. The proposed project aims at elucidating the mechanistic details of secondary lipids assembly by Pfa synthases utilising in vitro enzymology and chemical probes capable of capturing Pfa biosynthetic intermediates. Specific research objectives include: (1) the cloning, the expression and the reconstitution of an active Pfa synthase in vitro; (2) the capture of Pfa synthases intermediates using chemical probes and their characterisation; and, on these bases, (3) the detailed reconstruction of the mechanisms involved in secondary lipid assembly by the Pfa synthase. This work will provide novel insights into the fundamentals of PfA enzyme workings and therefore the foundations of novel microbial biotechnology for the production of secondary lipid metabolites.
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 neurobiology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology phycology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis biocatalysis
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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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-2013-IEF
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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.
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
CV4 8UW COVENTRY
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.