Objective
Plant pathogenic fungi represent a serious threat for the productivity of agricultural systems. The blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is a multi-host pathogen that infects both, cultivated and wild grass species, including important agronomic crops such as rice, wheat and barley. Despite reproducing asexually, clonal lineages of the blast fungus display remarkable genomic and phenotypic plasticity. Most strikingly, these isolates contain highly variable mini-chromosomes, which can contribute to the emergence of new pathogen variants. Intriguingly, phenotypic variation is prevalent in the field but phenotypes remain stable during subculturing, suggesting increased genome plasticity during this process. However, the extent of genomic structural variation in local populations and the underlying mechanisms, particularly somatic interchromosomal recombination, remains limited.
The aim of this project is to determine the molecular and regulatory mechanisms underlying genome dynamics and the phenotypic outcomes of structural genomic variation. Using two complementary and multidisciplinary approaches, that combine population genomics, experimental evolution, computational biology and molecular genetic techniques, I will investigate how environmental conditions and developmental cues influence the emergence of structural genomic variants and their phenotypic consequences. In addition, I will determine the impact of interchromosomal recombination events between mini-chromosomes and core chromosomes on local mutation rates, establishing if non-allelic recombination between core and mini-chromosomes contribute to local mutation rate biases affecting virulence effector gene divergence.
Collectively, the results from DYNAGEN will advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying structural genomic variation in fungal plant pathogens. This knowledge could be used to guide surveillance of emerging pathogen variants and develop crop disease prevention strategies.
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 microbiology mycology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics chromosomes
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
- 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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
6108 Halle
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.