Project description
Dissecting the mechanism of autophagy in plants
Autophagy in Greek means 'to eat one's self'. It is a control mechanism whereby cells degrade and get rid of unwanted or damaged cellular components. The process is very selective and relies on the association between specific domains on receptors and autophagy cargo. Scientists of the EU-funded CURIE project aim to study the role of a recently identified receptor that is present on the endoplasmic reticulum. They will genetically and structurally characterise this receptor and determine its role in the model species Arabidopsis. Results have the potential to help enhance stress tolerance in crop species.
Objective
Autophagy is a highly selective cellular quality control pathway. Selective removal of autophagic cargo are mediated by cargo receptors that contain cargo binding domains and ATG8 interacting motifs to bridge the cargo with autophagosomes. Although cargo receptors are the key players linking autophagy to cellular quality control, most of them are still waiting to be uncovered in plants. Identification and characterization of novel cargo receptors will pave the way for future translational studies that aim to enhance stress tolerance in crop species.
The host lab recently identified an Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) autophagy receptor C53, that interacts with ATG8 via non-canonical shuffled ATG8 interacting motif. Besides, C53 is regulated by an enigmatic posttranslational modification called ufmylation through binding to another ubiquitin-like protein UFM1. Interestingly, ATG8-UFM1 interaction is mutually exclusive. However, the structural basis of C53-ATG8 or C53-UFM1 interaction are currently unknown. Also, the physiological roles of ufmylation and the ufmylated protein substrates have not been studied in plants.
In this proposal, I aim to structurally and genetically characterize C53-ATG8 and C53-UFM1 interaction. In parallel, using proteomics, I will determine the ufmylome, i.e. ufmylated protein catalogue in plants for the first time. Finally, I will move beyond model species Arabidopsis and establish autophagy and ufmylation studies in rice. Altogether, my studies will further our understanding of a novel ER quality control pathway in model plant species and beyond.
I will work at the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), Vienna BioCenter (VBC) in the lab of Yasin Dagdas. VBC is one of the largest life sciences hubs in Europe. It has a dynamic postdoc community, with structured training programs to prepare postdocs for independent careers. The cutting-edge research concepts, resources, and soft-skill training that I will gain will help me to establish my own lab.
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 proteins proteomics
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture grains and oilseeds cereals
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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-2020
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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.
1030 Wien
Austria
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.