CORDIS

In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition of the importance of marine microbes, coupled with the discovery of a vast microbial diversity in the oceans. Remarkable examples of this importance are the cyanobacteria, which are responsible for more than 50% of the oxygen production on Earth. Marine picocyanobacteria (i.e., Synechococcus) dominate most phytoplankton assemblages in oceans interacting over different spatial and temporal scales. Interactions mediated by uptake of proteins, lipids or metabolites, quorum signaling, viruses or by the secretion of membrane vesicles, have a large ecological impact on community structure. VESYNECH is an ambitious project with the aim of gaining a comprehensive understanding of the role of marine microbial vesicles of Synechococcus and its implications in the microbial diversity in the ocean. The abundant and ecological importance of these marine microorganisms as contributors of global primary production in the ocean reinforces the relevance of this project. To fully understand how these vesicles are implicated in these interactions, I will characterize the microbial vesicles of different strains of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus. Furthermore, I will determine the potential functions of vesicles from marine cyanobacteria and its role in the horizontal gene transfer. Finally, I will explore the content of these vesicles to unveil possible bioactive potential of genes and enzymes. This project will be carried out at the García-Fernández lab at the University of Córdoba, Spain with the expertise in physiological studies in marine cyanobacteria, providing me with an excellent training through research, acquiring additional research skills and gaining experience in the leadership and management of projects.