Objective
Programmed cell death (PCD) is an essential function in multicellular organisms; it regulates normal development, responses to cell damage, and cell turnover. Accordingly, the PCD machinery present in the unicellular ancestors of animals was likely critical to the emergence of the complex multicellularity found in extant animals. However, we lack a full understanding of the PCD repertoire in the unicellular relatives of animals, and whether that ancestral repertoire underwent significant changes at the onset of Metazoa
To fill this gap in our understanding we will perform a comparative genomics approach, combined with in vivo experiments, to examine the distribution and evolution of programmed cell death (PCD) proteins in the unicellular relatives of animals. This will identify which components of the PCD machinery were already present in the unicellular ancestor of animals, and the functional and regulatory changes that they might have undergone, and which led to the emergence of apoptosis in animals. Of particular interest is the subtype of PCD known as apoptosis, as the most characteristic apoptosis proteins are thought to be animal-specific.
To investigate whether functional modifications occurred in the PCD repertoire at the origin of animals, we will perform in vivo experiments in two unicellular relatives of animals, Capsaspora and Creolimax, for which the host lab has developed transformation protocols. We will overexpress, and if possible silence, candidate pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins in those taxa to test whether they induce or protect against cell death. We will also examine protein interactions of these proteins during a proposed secondment. This project will provide the first comprehensive reconstruction of programmed cell death machinery across the group comprising animals and their unicellular relatives. The findings will be of interest not only to evolutionary biologists, but also to microbiologists, and to cell and developmental biologists.
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
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
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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-2016
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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.
28006 MADRID
Spain
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.