Objective
To infect humans, the devastating pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis critically depends on two closely related siderophores – soluble carboxymycobactin and membrane-bound mycobactin – which capture iron with high affinity inside the host cell. Despite their undisputed importance for virulence, little is known about how these siderophores are exported and imported across the two mycobacterial membranes.
Building on my lab’s experience in elucidating transport processes of pathogenic bacteria, we will unravel the molecular mechanism of an unusual ABC exporter which is thought to import iron-loaded siderophores across the inner mycobacterial membrane and to release iron in the cytoplasm by virtue of its attached siderophore interacting domain. Further, we will investigate two proton-driven transporters responsible for the efflux of empty siderophores, exhibiting an unknown protein fold. We will determine atomic structures by combining X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM and thoroughly investigate active in- and efflux of siderophores in liposomes as well as in cells.
Siderophore transport across the outer mycobacterial membrane is a terra incognita. By combining high-density transposon mutagenesis with deep sequencing (Tn-Seq), we aim to discover novel receptors, carriers and channels involved in siderophore transport, which are subsequently characterized at the biochemical and structural level.
Siderophore-mediated iron acquisition offers a vulnerable attacking point of M. tuberculosis. Using protein engineering, we will develop a human siderocalin exhibiting low affinity binding for carboxymycobactin into a therapeutic agent able to efficiently capture mycobacterial siderophores and thereby starve M. tuberculosis for iron.
In summary, we will discover novel proteins involved in iron acquisition, gain mechanistic insights into poorly understood siderophore transport processes at the molecular level and explore novel strategies to treat tuberculosis.
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 bacteriology
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geology mineralogy crystallography
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine pneumology tuberculosis
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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.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
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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) ERC-2017-COG
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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.
8006 Zurich
Switzerland
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.