Project description
Knowing how parasites plant a smooch on host cells may point to ways to block the kiss
Parasites live in or on a host, hijacking it for personal benefit often to the detriment of the host. While the ways in which bacteria release proteins into the extracellular environment or even inject them into a neighbouring cell are well-known, little is known about the secretion machinery of parasites. KissAndSpitRhoptry intends to shed light on the mechanisms employed by parasites to inject their proteins into host cells. The hypothesis is that parasite-host cell fusion and subsequent creation of a pore connecting the two provides a transient connection for injection. It will be tested in the parasites responsible for malaria and toxoplasmosis as well as in single-celled ciliates known to share the same fusion machinery.
Objective
Apicomplexan are obligatory intracellular parasites. The ability of these parasites (Plasmodium, Toxoplasma) to cause disease depends on the coordinated secretion of specialized secretory organelles. The rhoptries are particularly important, because they act as the apicomplexan equivalent of bacterial secretion systems. They inject parasite proteins directly in the cytoplasm of host cells not only for invasion but also to hijack host functions crucial to establish and maintain infection. However, in contrast to bacteria where the secretion machinery has been resolved to atomic detail, how eukaryotic parasites secrete and inject rhoptry effectors into cells is an enigma. This proposal aims to dissect the mechanistic steps and the molecular components that assemble the rhoptry secretion machine.
Our aims are:
1- To explore the mechanisms that trigger rhoptry exocytosis upon binding of the parasite to the host cell.
2- To provide insights into fusion machinery of rhoptry with the parasite plasma membrane. Our model is based on the discovery that free-living Ciliates and intracellular Apicomplexa share an evolutionarily conserved blueprint for their fusion mechanism.
3- To test and expand our hypothesis that rhoptries deliver their content through a transient pore formed into the host cell membrane.
We will employ powerful experimental systems in Toxoplasma, Plasmodium and the Ciliate Tetrahymena, taking full advantage of the relative strength of each model. This comprehensive project will bring together comparative genomics, targeted and global genetics, biochemistry, high resolution imaging and electrophysiology.
This project answers a question of fundamental biological importance. How can a parasite sense the host cell and inject virulence factors to attain control? Understanding this mechanism will guide future efforts to disrupt parasite infection and will contribute to broader understanding of fascinating questions of membrane fusion and export processes.
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.
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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)
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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-2018-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.
75654 PARIS
France
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