Project description DEENESFRITPL Expanding eukaryotic life with novel organelles Protein design and engineering have the potential to create new proteins and bioinspired materials for various biotechnological applications. To advance these synthetic biological processes, scientists of the EU-funded MultiOrganelleDesign project propose to develop novel organelles capable of driving transcription and translation using an expanded genetic code. The scientists have created membraneless organelles inside eukaryotic cells in which the genetic code can be expanded to open a new path to residue-specific protein engineering. Eukaryotes will then be able to code for more than the normal complement of amino acids. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective The emergence of organelles dedicated to specific cellular functions drove the evolution of more complex eukaryotic organisms. We recently created membraneless organelles inside eukaryotic cells dedicated to orthogonal translation, which opened a new path to residue-specific protein engineering using genetic code expansion. We now want to design novel organelles into eukaryotes that will internally enact the entire central dogma of molecular biology. This will supplement the complex eukaryotic cell with an additional simple and easily tailored orthogonal machinery that can also facilitate transcription and replication. This will enable us to create eukaryotes that have more than four additional expanded genetic codes, and we will explore the functional space occupied by these novel living systems. The organelles will be enhanced to process specific signals to e.g. modify RNA or degrade specific proteins. Besides these curiosity-driven goals, specific applications will allow us to road test our technology. We will directly use these approaches to advance protein engineering in eukaryotes to create proteins and artificial peptide polymers having multiple, noncanonical functionalities suitable for diverse biotechnological applications and new bioinspired materials. We will also develop organelle design into a truly universal and powerful labeling method fully compatible with eukaryotic host cell physiology that has single-residue precision and goes way beyond the state-of-the-art of any fluorescent labeling technology. The approaches will be general and truly flexible in how translation can be tailored in terms of protein, RNA and codon choice, including sense codons and type of new functionalities. Progress made in recent decades has shown that protein design and engineering can revolutionize biology. We can only imagine what can be achieved with designed functional organelles inside eukaryotic cells and how they might enable the creation of new living systems. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsnatural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciencesmedical and health sciencesbasic medicinephysiologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsRNAnatural sciencesbiological sciencesmolecular biology Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2019-ADG - ERC Advanced Grant Call for proposal ERC-2019-ADG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant Host institution JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITAT MAINZ Net EU contribution € 2 499 068,00 Address SAARSTRASSE 21 55122 Mainz Germany See on map Region Rheinland-Pfalz Rheinhessen-Pfalz Mainz, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 499 068,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITAT MAINZ Germany Net EU contribution € 2 499 068,00 Address SAARSTRASSE 21 55122 Mainz See on map Region Rheinland-Pfalz Rheinhessen-Pfalz Mainz, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 499 068,00
