Objective
The retrieval of ancient DNA sequences from long-dead organisms offers a unique perspective on evolutionary biology. In this proposal, we aim to take advantage of cutting-edge approaches in next-generation sequencing, together with the contributions of other fields, including medicine, experimental biology and microbiology, in order to access the complete genome sequences of ancient E. coli organisms that lived several hundreds to thousands of years ago. DNA enrichment coupled with high-throughput DNA sequencing will be implemented and several lines of evidence will be used to demonstrate the authenticity of the ancient E. coli sequences recovered.
The wide knowledge of modern E. coli genomes will be compared to ancient strains for the first time and the plasticity of E. coli genomes will be analyzed over millions of generations, at evolutionary scales that encompass by several orders of magnitude the scope of what is accessible with standard approaches in experimental evolution, promising to reveal important features about the evolutionary mechanisms of adaptation and selection as well as the origin of the variety of modern E. coli populations. In parallel, we aim at characterizing the prevalence of virulence factors (i.e. Shiga toxin) that still cause the onset of serious outbreak of foodborne illness in Europe and in the United States. This information will reveal the importance of E. coli digestive outbreaks in past human populations and could contribute in monitoring outbreaks in current populations.
We are confident that the present project, which represents a perfect synthesis of the applicant education and will be carried out under the supervision of an internationally recognised researcher within the fields of paleogenomics and hosted in one of the world’s leading centres for ancient DNA research, will push the limits of archaeogenetics and receive a wide international and general public attention.
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 DNA
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology
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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.
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.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF
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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
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
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.