Objective
Eukarya – one of the three Domains of Life along with Archaea and Bacteria (i.e. prokaryotes) – include all complex multicellular life forms, as well as a colossal diversity of unicellular microorganisms. At the cellular level, the gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is immense, with the latter cell types displaying a large number of complex subcellular organelles and molecular systems. The evolutionary origin of these unique features, and thus of the eukaryotic cell itself, remains one of the most fascinating enigmas in modern biology. Although many eukaryotic-signature proteins (ESPs) are known to trace back to the last eukaryotic common ancestor, their deeper evolutionary origins remain unclear. The major goal of the current proposal is to illuminate the prokaryote to eukaryote transition by elucidating the origin and subsequent evolution of ESPs, as well as their order of emergence. We will focus on the ESPs of archaeal origin with an emphasis on the specific contribution of the newly discovered Lokiarchaeota lineages to the origin of the eukaryotic cell. In addition, we will aim to determine the placement the eukaryote lineage within the tree of Life and infer the age of the “first eukaryote”. Finally, we will use a novel phylogenomic approach to infer the gene content of the archaeal ancestors of eukaryotes by mapping the evolution of ESPs along the tree of Life. For this purpose, we will analyse entirely novel genomic data from several uncultivated Lokiarchaeota lineages, as well as novel sequence data from deep-branching key eukaryotes. This project will integrate approaches from distinct disciplines within life sciences and computational sciences (including molecular evolution, genomics/metagenomics and cell biology), with a strong emphasis on phylogenomics. Altogether, the innovative nature of this work combined with state-of-the-art methods and novel key genome data will allow to gain unprecedented insights in the origin and early evolution of Eukarya.
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 chemical sciences organic chemistry hydrocarbons
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology molecular evolution
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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.
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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-EF-ST - Standard EF
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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-2015
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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.
751 05 Uppsala
Sweden
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.