Evolutionary history and ecological adaptations of ammonia oxidizing Thaumarchaeota.

Información del proyecto

THAUMECOPHYL

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: 701981

DOI

10.3030/701981

Proyecto finalizado el 31 Enero 2017

Fecha de la firma de la CE 3 Marzo 2016

Fecha de inicio 1 Abril 2016

Fecha de finalización 31 Marzo 2018

Financiado con arreglo a

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Coste total

€ 178 156,80

Aportación de la UE

€ 178 156,80

Coordinado por

UNIVERSITAT WIEN
Austria

Objetivo

Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA), a clade of the Thaumarchaeota phylum, diversified in a variety of marine and terrestrial environments. Due to their abundance, AOA are deemed major players in the global cycle of nitrogen. They also produce greenhouse gasses. Despite their ecological importance, the nature and origin of ammonia oxidizing metabolism and the reasons for the ecological success of AOA are still unknown. This project aims at performing the first comprehensive evolutionary and comparative genomic analysis of Thaumarchaeota to identify crucial metabolic and genomic features. Prof. Schleper is a leading scientist in Thaumarchaeota cultivation, genomics and physiology. Metagenomic data produced in her laboratory give now access to genomes of crucial taxa for this project. I will complete these genomes, and analyse all available AOA genomes with a sophisticated model of genome evolution to reconstruct the species tree of Thaumarchaeota and the events (gene duplications, transfers and losses) that occurred along their evolution. The genome of the AOA’s ancestor will be inferred, and the minimal gene set required for ammonia oxidation identified. The sets of evolutionary events and the ancestral genome will be linked to metabolic and ecological transitions to obtain the scenario of ammonia oxidation emergence and of the adaptation of AOA to various environments, thus addressing key questions in the fields of ecology, evolution, and archaea biology. This interdisciplinary project is only possible through the unique combination of my expertise in comparative genomics and molecular phylogeny with the expertise of Prof. Schleper's group, which will result in two-ways transfers of knowledge and skills. Beyond scientific training, I will be trained to project management and project design with experimental biologists. This is crucial for my career, as I plan to start a group at the edge of bioinformatics and experimental biology to study how complex systems evolve.

Ámbito científico (EuroSciVoc)

• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › morfología biológica › morfología comparativa
• ciencias naturales › ciencias químicas › electroquímica › electrólisis
• ciencias naturales › ciencias de la tierra y ciencias ambientales conexas › ciencias de la atmósfera › climatología › cambios climáticos
• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › genética › genoma
• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › biología molecular

Palabras clave

• Archaea
• Genome evolution
• Ecological adaptation
• Phylogenomics
• Metagenomics
• Genome assembly
• Ammonia oxidation
• Nitrification
• Nitrogen cycle

Programa(s)

• H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions PROGRAMA PRINCIPAL
  
• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
  

Tema(s)

• MSCA-IF-2015-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF)
  

Régimen de financiación

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

Convocatoria de propuestas

H2020-MSCA-IF-2015

Coordinador

UNIVERSITAT WIEN

• Aportación neta de la UEn: € 178 156,80
• Dirección: UNIVERSITATSRING 1 ; 1010 Wien ; Austria
• Región: Ostösterreich › Wien › Wien
• Tipo de actividad: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Coste total: € 178 156,80