Objective
More than 1 Ga ago, an ancient eukaryote became photosynthetic by engulfing a cyanobacterium that evolved into the first plastid. This had profound consequences for the planet: photosynthetic eukaryotes became major primary producers and biogeochemical players. From this primary endosymbiosis evolved green algae and plants, red algae, and glaucophytes. Later, secondary endosymbioses of red and green algae spread plastids in numerous other phyla. However, many aspects of this evolutionary history remain obscure. The identity of that cyanobacterium was a mystery until we recently found strong phylogenomic evidence that it belonged to the Gloeomargaritales, a newly discovered deep-branching group. Yet, why this original endosymbiosis in a heterotrophic host was so successful is unknown. I hypothesize that it was due to the unusual capacity of Gloeomargaritales to produce intracellular carbonates which, I argue, allowed buffering the pH increase concomitant with photosynthetic C fixation. This was crucial for photosynthesis-based endosymbiosis before the host evolved active pH regulation. Similar intracellular amorphous carbonates recently found in green algae might be modern remnants of that initial symbiosis.
To test this hypothesis and gain insight into the origin and subsequent evolution of plastids, I propose to: 1) thoroughly characterize the physiology of Gloeomargarita lithophora, the only Gloeomargaritales species isolated so far; 2) obtain new genomic data from diverse Gloeomargaritales by culture, metagenomic and single-cell approaches; 3) study the impact of cyanobacterial genes endosymbiotically transferred to the host algal and plant nuclear genomes; and 4) retrace the evolutionary history of these genes in secondary and tertiary endosymbioses. My project will improve our understanding of the origin and evolution of photosynthetic eukaryotes, and influence broader evolutionary biology research areas, from endosymbiosis to the eukaryotic tree of life.
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 chemical sciences inorganic chemistry inorganic compounds
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences planets
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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-ADG - Advanced 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-ADG
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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.
75794 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.