Project description
Chemical-based communication in sea cucumbers
Organisms detect and respond to chemical signals in their environment through chemosensation. This sensory mechanism involves specialised receptors that interact with specific chemicals in the surroundings and is responsible for driving behaviours such as foraging and reproduction. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SensHolo project will focus on chemosensation in sea cucumbers. The research team will employ a multidisciplinary approach to identify chemosensory receptors in sea cucumbers and their activation mechanisms and physiology. SensHolo will advance knowledge of chemical communication in sea cucumbers, with potential impacts on both marine biology and aquaculture practices.
Objective
Chemosensation is a critical signalling process for sea cucumbers which relies on the interaction between their chemosensory receptors and various ligands for foraging and reproduction. Although there is a vast amount of research on the chemistry of secreted specialized metabolites of sea cucumbers, and some behavioural data evidencing chemoreception of these metabolites, the chemosensory receptors of these organisms have not yet been identified and nothing is known about the physiology behind sea cucumber chemosensation. This setback is in large part because the scientific approach behind studying chemosensation requires a vast array of techniques and expertise in ethology, chemistry, molecular biology, and biophysics.
Firstly, a behaviour associated with a chemical cue must be quantifiable, secondly, the precise chemical cue eliciting the behaviour response must be identified and isolated, thirdly, the chemosensory receptor of this specific cue needs to be identified on a tissue, cellular, and molecular level, and finally, the activation of this specific receptor by a specific chemical cue must elicit a measurable response on a molecular, cellular, tissue, and organismal level.
Through this project, I will elucidate the physiology of chemical communication between sea cucumber by considering these sequential steps in chemosensation. With my previous experience in sea cucumber ethology and chemistry, SensHolo will enrich my skill base in molecular biology and biophysics so that the mechanisms behind intraspecific chemical communication between sea cucumbers may be determined from both the emitter and receiver perspective; from signal to receptor.
This holistic approach will be ground-breaking in chemosensation and sea cucumber research. It will enable future research to address the evolution of chemosensation in marine invertebrates and the chemical ecology of sea cucumbers both in the context of optimizing aquaculture and in their ecological conservation.
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 ecology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
- natural sciences biological sciences biophysics
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology invertebrate zoology
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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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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5020 Bergen
Norway
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