Objective
A plethora of halogenated natural products documents the existence of halogenases in plants but the responsible enzymes remain elusive. Chlorinated iridoid glycosides, for instance, occur in Phlomis, a genus in the mint family. Based on knowledge of iridoid biosynthesis and a mechanistic hypothesis for the chlorination reaction, we aim to discover the underlying enzymes. We will sequence transcriptomes of Phlomis tissues in different metabolic states, identify homologs of enzymes involved in iridoid biosynthesis, and search for candidate genes showing similar expression patterns. Among these candidates, the chlorinase will be identified by assaying the reactivity of heterologously expressed protein in vitro. Biochemical and structural characterization of the chlorinase will clarify whether chlorine incorporation proceeds via a rare epoxide opening mechanism. The level of chloroiridoid production will be assessed in plants after silencing the chlorinase, in order to confirm the metabolic role of the newly discovered enzyme. Furthermore, transient expression in plants providing structurally diverse precursors will reveal whether chlorinated natural products can be made that are new to nature. The discovery of a chlorinase in higher plants will fill an important gap in our understanding of plant secondary metabolism. Given the potential of chlorine for enhancing protein-ligand interactions, such enzymes would become useful tools for biocatalysis and the engineered biosynthesis of natural products with fine-tuned medicinal properties.
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 genetics RNA transcriptomes
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry halogens
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis biocatalysis
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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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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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2014
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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.
NR4 7UH NORWICH
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.