Objective
Engineering of metabolic fluxes in filamentous fungi is expected to bring major improvements in the production of metabolises and enzymes. This proposal is focused on trehalose and glycerol metabolism which have been proposed to control glycolytic flux e.g. through inhibition of hexokinase by trehalose-6phosphate synthase and regulation by glycerol-3-phosphate of the levels of fructose-2,6-biphosphate, a potent activator of phosphofructokinase. In addition to these proposed functions, trehalose and glycerol may play an important role in stress adaptation and morphogenesis of fungi. Trehalose is synthesized in phases of nutrient starvation, dessication, and exposure to heat-shock and is particularly present in dormant spores. Although filamentous fungi produce other polyols, glycerol acts as the primary compatible solute in response to high osmolarity and low temperature. Furthermore, high levels of glycerol are accumulated during spore germination and infection structure differentiation and seem to participate in the establishment of morphogenesis in filamentous fungi. Therefore, a better understanding of glycerol and trehalose metabolism should not only yield applications in the field of metabolic engineering but also in the design of innovative strategies to prevent growth of pathogenic and food spoilage fungi.
The main objective of this proposal is therefore to decipher the functions of trehalose and glycerol in fungi with respect to the regulation of the glycolytic flux, the sensitivity to a variety of stresses and the morphogenetic program.
Two model organisms have been chosen. Aspergillus nidulans serves as an appropriate model for fungal species involved in the production of economically important metabolises and enzymes (A. niger), in human disease (A. fumigatus), and in food spoilage (Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp.). Magnaporthe grisea, the causal agent of rice blast, provides a plant pathogen model, since its infection structures (appressoria) accumulate high glycerol levels. Preventing glycerol biosynthesis or accumulation in phytopathogens is expected to provide an important basis for the development of new antifungals in crop protection. The major genes involved in glycerol biosynthesis and efflux will therefore be identified in A. nidulans and M grisea and used, together with the already available genes of trehalose metabolism, to construct strains impaired in glycerol and trehalose metabolism, whereas Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants and genes will be used to identify functional similarities and differences. Engineered strains will be evaluated in tests on metabolic fluxes in the bioreactor environment, on osmoadaptation, morphogenesis, pathogenicity, low and high temperature sentivity, and pH and antifungal sensitivity.
The network of three academic and two industrial laboratories has excellent expertise in the genetics of filamentous fungi and yeasts, in the biochemistry, physiology and molecular genetics of sugar and polyol metabolism and in the study of phytopathogenic fungi. The industrial partners foresee applications of this research in the field of antifungal development and improvement of fungal strains and processes used in the food and in the fermentation industry.
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
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology molecular genetics
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
You need to log in or register to use this function
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.
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.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Data not available
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
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.
Coordinator
75724 PARIS
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.