Objective
The aim of this study is to gain structural insights into the genome replication of human enteroviruses (EVs), specifically Coxsackievirus B3 which is the leading cause of viral myocarditis. EVs drastically reorganize the internal membranes of a cell within hours of infection, generating replication complexes (RCs), which are the sites of viral genome replication. Some molecular determinants of RC morphogenesis have been identified, and resin-embedding EM has indicated the drastic membrane remodeling involved in RC formation. However, such approaches fail to reveal the macromolecular structural organization of RCs in cells. To further our understanding of RC assembly and activity, I propose to use cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to determine 3D structures of enteroviral RCs in infected cells. Human cells will be infected on EM grids and the recently developed cryo-focused ion beam milling technology will be used to make RCs inside infected cells accessible to structural studies using cryo-ET. The determined structures will reveal the supramolecular organization of viral proteins and RNA at EV RCs. The findings will clarify the long-standing question regarding the relation between membrane topology and the RNA synthesis machinery. Subtomogram averaging methods will be used to reveal how the viral polymerase assembles into higher-order structures on the RCs membrane, and obtain high resolution structures of these assemblies. Assemblies of purified EV polymerases will be imaged by cryo-ET and compared to structures found in cells. Additionally, the effect on the Golgi apparatus of the viral proteins thought to initiate the membrane remodelling will be studied by cryo-ET. Taken together, this project will determine the first high-resolution structures of viral RCs in cells, providing critical insights into the genome replication of the highly medically relevant EVs, and potentially generating new concepts for virus inhibitor design.
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 mathematics pure mathematics topology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes viral genomes
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy electron microscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
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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-2017
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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.
901 87 UMEA
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.