Project description
Revealing hidden evolutionary constraints in plants through the inference of amino acid ages
A key question in evolutionary biology is whether plants repeatedly use the same genetic programmes to adapt to environmental pressures over time. Protein sequences across diverse lineages could shed light on this issue. However, current methods that rely on a single optimal alignment configuration do not anticipate evolutionary divergence, inhibiting identification of substitutions that could convergently alter adaptive phenotypes. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RecAminoAge project aims to develop a novel framework for inferring common evolutionary origins by incorporating suboptimal alignment configurations. Defined as ‘amino acid ages’, it will sequentially date protein substitutions until one is no longer stable in the suboptimal alignment, indicating the evolutionary origin/age of an amino acid within a protein.
Objective
Plants constantly face environmental challenges, impacting ecosystem stability, promoting new pathogens and compromising food security. A fundamental question in evolutionary biology is whether repeated adaptations, driven by similar environmental pressures, rely on the same genetic programs, especially over long timescales. Protein sequences, increasingly available across diverse lineages, offer a unique opportunity to tackle this issue on an unprecedented scale. However, as evolutionary divergence increases, current methods result in substantial information loss and an inherent bias due to reliance on a single optimal alignment configuration. This, in turn, makes it difficult to identify which substitutions among billions could convergently alter adaptive phenotypes.
To overcome these challenges, I will establish a novel framework for inferring common evolutionary origins by incorporating suboptimal alignment configurations. Summarized as “amino acid ages”, I will date protein substitutions in a ladder-like fashion until a substitution is no longer stable in the suboptimal alignment space. The taxonomic level of the detected substitution will indicate the evolutionary origin/age of an amino acid within a protein. I hypothesize that amino acid ages capture emerging nuances missed in divergent lineages since suboptimal configurations may expose hidden evolutionary constraints.
First, I will develop a fast and scalable computation of amino acid ages for community use. Second, I will generate a resource containing amino acid age annotations for all available plants. Third, I will establish associations between candidate protein substitutions that lack assigned ages, not acquired through common ancestry, and recurrent adaptive traits.
RecAminoAge will provide the community with a disruptive methodology that sheds light on protein evolution rates over long timescales while enhancing predictions of species retaining valuable adaptations to tackle future challenges.
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
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry amines
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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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Topic(s)
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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
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.
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-2024-PF-01
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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.
80539 MUNCHEN
Germany
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.