Objective
Bifidobacteria represent one of the most common inhabitants of the mammalian and animal gastrointestinal tract (GIT). In the human GIT their presence has been associated with beneficial health effects, such as prevention of diarrhoea, amelioration of lacto se intolerance, and immunomodulation. These correlations have led to the widespread use of many bifidobacterial strains as components of health-promoting foods (probiotic foods). Despite the generally accepted importance of bifidobacteria as probiotic components of human GIT microflora, and their use in health-promoting foods, there is a large paucity of information about their physiology, phylogenetic relationship, and underlying genetics. Bacterial genome sequencing is considered to be the gateway to a new era of biological investigation, which will shed light on the interactive genetics underlying all microbial properties.
Unfortunately, so far bifidobacterial genomics represent an under-explored field since from a total of over 32 currently recognized species of this genus only one strain harbouring the Bifidobacterium longum species has been fully sequenced. Bifidobacteria represent an ideal target for studying the genetic borderline between health-promoting bacteria (probiotic) and pathogenic bacteria since bifidobacteria include both species with food-grade and probiotic properties as well as species exhibiting typical pathogenic characteristics. This latter group of bifidobacterial strains consists of Bifidobacterium dentium strains, which have been show n to be one of the main actor for human dental caries formation.
This proposal will focus on the genome sequencing of a cariogenic B. dentium strain in order to shed light on the virulent determinants of this microrganism and to identify the genetic basis o f the bifidobacterial probiotic phenotypes through genome sequence comparison of B. dentium strain with a typical probiotic bifidobacterial strain like B. longum.
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 bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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.
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.
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.
FP6-2004-MOBILITY-11
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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.
Coordinator
PARMA
Italy
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.