Project description
Breakthrough enzymes turn lignocellulosic biomass into high-value fuels and chemicals
Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is a sustainable source for producing bio-based fuels and chemicals. Microorganisms involved in LCB deconstruction produce a wide range of carbohydrate active enzymes. Specifically, bacteroides encode fine-tuned gene clusters dedicated to polysaccharide metabolism, which are called polysaccharide utilisation loci (PUL). Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EvoXUL project aims to engineer enzymes for the hydrolysis of wheat bran and wheat straw. The project's activities will be based on previous work conducted by the host team, who discovered a xylan PUL from termite gut whose enzymes demonstrated efficient deconstruction of different LCB materials.
Objective
Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is a renewable and inexhaustible carbon source on Earth and its valorisation will drive sustainable circular bioeconomy. Microorganisms involved in LCB deconstruction produce a huge repertoire of carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) in order to utilize LCB as carbon source. Specifically, Bacteroides, encode fine-tuned gene clusters dedicated to polysaccharide metabolism called Polysaccharide Utilization Loci (PUL). The host team recently discovered a xylan PUL from termite gut whose enzymes showed promising activity on different LCB. In EvoXUL project an original co-evolution strategy will be deployed to simultaneously engineer XUL’s enzymes towards wheat bran and wheat straw hydrolysis. In addition, a combination of enzyme assemblies will be created thanks to the Bio Molecular Welding Jo-In system to further maximize the synergy between the catalysts and to unravel the impact of enzyme spatial organization with the goal of developing more efficient enzyme cocktails for bioeconomy. The fellow and members of the French National Institute for Applied Sciences of Toulouse (INSA Toulouse) will establish a successful collaboration plan on the basis of their respective backgrounds in hydrolases involved in biomass valorisation (biochemistry, applied enzymology, bioprocess engineering) and protein evolution, engineering, and functional characterization of glycoside hydrolases, respectively. The acquired knowledge in structure and synergism of modular enzymes will provide rules for tailor made enzyme assemblies for future industrial applications related with lignocellulosic feedstock biorefinery. The project will provide an in depth training in molecular biology, protein engineering and structure-function of carbohydrate modifying enzymes.
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 evolutionary biology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules carbohydrates
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology
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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.1.3. - 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-2019
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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.
31077 Toulouse
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.