Project description
On the trail of a potential endosymbiotic evolutionary happening
Plastids, including chloroplasts, are photosynthetic organelles in eukaryotic organisms. Chloroplasts started out as cyanobacteria that were internalised by eukaryotes in a symbiotic relationship (endosymbiosis). With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the UCYN2PLAST project will investigate the hypothesis that we are seeing the evolutionary preparations for a similar internalisation event. This time, the photosynthesiser – a single-celled eukaryotic algae – may be the internaliser, taking in the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium that supplies its much-needed nitrogen in exchange for the algae’s organic matter. The project will evaluate the hypothesis using metatranscriptomic analysis and electron microscopy combined with molecular probes and quantitative isotopic techniques applied to marine samples and in seawater incubation experiments.
Objective
Symbioses are evident sources of innovation in nature, critical for the evolution of plastids and the success of eukaryotes on Earth. The mechanisms promoting such relationships, however, are difficult to identify, especially between single-celled organisms, and remain largely unknown. A widespread symbiosis was recently discovered in the ocean between an unicellular cyanobacterium (UCYN-A) and single-celled eukaryotic algae (prymnesiophyte). UCYN-A lacks typical cyanobacterial features such as the capacity to perform oxygenic photosynthesis, CO2 fixation or the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and must thus rely on the supply of organic matter from the algal host. In turn, UCYN-A shows a dramatic genome reduction with a high specialization in nitrogen fixation, providing fixed nitrogen to the alga. Given the importance of nitrogen for the algal productivity, it has been hypothesized that UCYN-A could eventually give rise to a nitrogen-fixing plastid in a process analogous to the origin of chloroplasts. This project aims to study the UCYN-A symbiosis both from an evolutionary and a functional point of view: First, the identification and characterization of new associations from marine samples at a global scale through molecular techniques will allow a deep comparison of closely-related symbiotic lineages that will help to understand the evolutionary underpinnings of this symbiosis. Second, nutrient incubation experiments of seawater samples over diel cycles will be performed to identify potential factors regulating the carbon and nitrogen exchange between partners to gain knowledge on the host-symbiont coupling mechanisms. For this purpose, metatranscriptomic analysis and electron microscopy combined with molecular probes and quantitative isotopic techniques (FISH-nanoSIMS) will be applied. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying this unusual nitrogen fixing symbiosis will provide valuable insight into previously unknown processes explaining the evolution of plastids
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 microbiology phycology
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy electron microscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
- natural sciences biological sciences botany
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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-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.
75006 Paris
France
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.