Project description
Insight into bacterial immunity
Bacteria possess numerous defence mechanisms to counteract bacteriophages, viruses that attack them. These mechanisms have evolved through the continuous race between host and viruses, and either induce programmed cell death via toxins or involve proteins which target and modify invading bacteriophage genomes. The EU-funded MSOPGDM project is investigating two previously unexplored defence mechanisms in prokaryotes. Through an interdisciplinary approach, researchers will undertake the biochemical and structural characterisation of defence proteins, aiming to shed light on bacterial molecular immunity. Moreover, insight into the genomic islands associated with these defence mechanisms will underpin their evolution.
Objective
The constant biological arms race between prokaryotic organisms and invading mobile genetic elements has resulted in the evolution of sophisticated genome defense mechanisms. The genes encoding for immunity commonly reside in genomic clusters known as defense islands that are in the vicinity of other host-defense loci. Recent studies of defense islands have uncovered ten novel host defense mechanisms whose molecular mechanisms remain elusive at present. The proposed project aims to provide a mechanistic basis for genetic immunity in two novel host defense systems: Druantia and Shedu. These systems contain genes encoding nucleases, ATPases and helicases, which strongly suggests that they provide immunity by directly targeting invading nucleic acids. To unravel the molecular mechanisms that underpin immunity in these systems, I will apply a highly interdisciplinary approach by using biochemical and state-of-the-art structural biology techniques, including high-throughput X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM and crosslink-coupled mass spectrometry. Understanding these mechanisms will provide fundamentally new insights into prokaryotic biology and the evolution of host-virus defense systems. Furthermore, these studies might uncover novel molecular activities that may be exploited for use as genetic engineering tools.
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 biochemistry biomolecules nucleic acids
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geology mineralogy crystallography
- natural sciences chemical sciences analytical chemistry mass spectrometry
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology structural biology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes prokaryotic genomes
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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.
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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-EF-ST - Standard EF
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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-2018
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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.
8006 Zurich
Switzerland
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.