Project description
Gut microbiota and the host immune system
The gut microbiota plays an important role in driving the postnatal maturation of the gut immune system and protecting the host from pathogens. The segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) involved in these processes attach to the ileal epithelium using a unique pointed tip structure on their unicellular particles. SFB induce a broad pro-inflammatory immune activation enabling pathogen resistance but also exacerbating disease severity in many autoimmune models. The EU-funded NICHEADAPT project will study the adaptation of this unique commensal to its unusual niche at the epithelial surface that leads to the development of the pro-inflammatory signalling using a unique in vitro SFB–host cell co-culturing system developed by the project team. This important developmental stage of the unicellular infectious particle and its immunological consequences will be further assessed using gnotobiology.
Objective
The gut microbiota plays an integral part in driving the postnatal maturation of the gut immune system and in protecting the host from pathogens. The commensal segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) plays a critical role in these processes through its intimate attachment to the ileal epithelium using a unique pointed tip structure on its unicellular infectious particle. SFB induces a broad pro-inflammatory immune activation, and notably a striking induction of IgA and Th17 cell responses, that fosters pathogen resistance but can also exacerbate disease severity in a number of autoimmune models, making SFB an important microbe in health and disease. SFB is found in many vertebrate species, including humans, and SFB monocolonization has allowed a detail study of its immunostimulatory potential. However, the unique and complex life-cycle of SFB and SFBs interaction with the host has remained poorly understood due to a lack of in vitro culturing techniques. We recently overcame this hurdle by establishing the first in vitro SFB-host cell co-culturing system. Using this system, unicellular SFB were discovered to be flagellated and to stimulate TLR5 signaling, revealing a missing link of immunological importance in the SFB life-cycle. This important developmental stage will now be further characterized and its immunological consequence assessed using gnotobiology. State-of-the-art microscopy techniques will be employed to characterize in detail the SFB life-cycle and novel structures discovered during in vitro growth. Unicellular SFB surface proteins will be identified using mass spectrometry, localized on the bacterium and tested for their ability to mediate host cell attachment. In addition, next generation sequencing and transcriptomics will be used to assess SFB genome evolution and SFB niche constraints. Together, this work will lead to a detailed view of the SFB life-cycle and how SFB has adapted to its unique replicative niche at the epithelial surface.
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 physical sciences optics microscopy
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology
- natural sciences chemical sciences analytical chemistry mass spectrometry
- 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)
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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
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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
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2019-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.
75654 PARIS
France
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