Project description
Evolution of fungal virulence effectors
Fungal pathogens can escape plant immune defences, leading to disease emergence. Effectors are proteins secreted by fungal pathogens that play a central role in infections. Attempts to probe into the evolutionary drivers of effector diversification have been hindered by the high sequence diversity of effectors. The EU-funded EvolMAX project proposes to overcome this methodological barrier by building on the recent discovery of a structurally-conserved, but sequence-diverse family of effectors called MAX in the model fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. EvolMAX will infer the diversification history of MAX effector repertoires after host-shifts. Improved understanding of the evolutionary changes underlying host shifts will help re-engineer plants and agrosystems to durably reduce the disease burden of cereals caused by fungi.
Objective
The ability of pathogens to escape plant immune system recognition and host defenses is a significant driver of disease emergence. Small proteins secreted by fungal pathogens, named effectors, play a key role in the ability of pathogens to infect novel hosts. Fungal pathogens harbor large and highly diverse repertoires of effectors. This tremendous effector repertoire variability within and between species has hindered the characterization of effectors for their role in adaptation to novel hosts, which is limited to a tiny fraction of effectors. EvolMAX aims to lift this methodological barrier by focusing on one of the first large family of effectors discovered in fungi in order to identify the molecular processes underlying changes in virulence and adaptation to novel hosts. Building on the recent discovery of the MAX (Magnaporthe Avrs and ToxB) family of effectors in the multihost pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, this project will jointly characterize and infer the evolutionary history of reasonably-sized sets of effectors. Using comparative genomics, population genomics, large-scale pathogenicity tests and genome-wide association mapping in host-specific M. oryzae lineages, EvolMAX will identify candidate loci involved in adaptation to novel hosts and raise understanding of the origins, diversification history of fungal effectors. The molecular processes underlying pathogen evolution and host adaptation are essential to design efficient and sustainable disease control strategies.
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 genetics
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
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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 - 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-2018
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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.
75007 PARIS CEDEX 07
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.