Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet GENETONE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Understanding how the brain works is a fundamental challenge in biology and a priority of EU research. A subset of brain circuits can signal tonically to encode persistent stimuli. Such circuits are involved in many sensory systems (e.g. vision, hearing) and in homeostatic responses (e.g. temperature, pH, and posture control). How tonic activity is molecularly achieved remains poorly understood. In C. elegans a tonic circuit promotes aggregation behavior and escape from 21% oxygen. At its core this circuit comprises URX oxygen sensors that tonically stimulate RMG interneurons as oxygen approaches 21%, evoking a switch in behavioral state. Each neuron in the circuit can be imaged and selectively modified in vivo - providing a special opportunity to dissect a tonically active circuit. Genetic screens have isolated 74 mutants with behavioral defects linked to URX-RMG tonic activity and that appear to disrupt hitherto unstudied loci. I am currently identifying the genes defective in these mutants, something I expect to achieve by May 2016 when the Fellowship would begin. I propose to combine genetics, neural imaging, optogenetics and biochemistry to characterize these genes’ function. I expect to define groups of gene products that act together. Some will be hitherto uncharacterized in any animal. I propose to collaborate with partners in the host institute and elsewhere to characterize the function of conserved genetic pathways I discover in depth. I will gain added value from learning new approaches (e.g. biochemistry, CLEM, cell-specific RNA Seq) and by extending some of my findings into a vertebrate model. I expect my research to provide general insights into molecular mechanisms by which tonic circuits work, with potential implications for human disease. This project is likely to pioneer new lines of research indispensible to establish an independent research career, will broaden and deepen my technical expertise, and will help me develop new scientific networks.

Mots clés : molecular underpinnings of behavior, forward genetics, cell biology of neurons, neural networks, c  elegans

Participants :
- UK Research and Innovation (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet EDPAS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Understanding how the differentiation potential of the mammalian embryo gets restricted during development is a key question in the embryology and stem cell fields. Alternative splicing (AS) is the process by which different exons are selected in precursor mRNAs to generate multiple protein products. Recent studies have shown that 95% of human multiexonic genes undergo AS, however little is known regarding its role in modulating pluripotency and differentiation. The aim of this project is to study the role that AS plays in these processes. For this we will first use ultra-deep coverage RNA-sequencing data from three mammalian species to identify alternative exons that show conserved dynamic usage during early developmental stages. Second, we will functionally test in ESCs the role of a number of these isoforms in pluripotency maintenance. Finally, we will take advantage of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology to generate exon specific knockouts in mouse embryos in order to assess their role during early embryo development. The results obtained from the proposed research will add to our knowledge of the regulatory networks that control early embryo development and will improve our understanding of the biology of stem cells, which is essential for their effective use for therapeutic applications. In addition, the use of state-of-the-art technology and a multi-disciplinary approach to analyze mammalian pluripotency regulation will improve my expertise in this field, helping me to gain independence in the near future.

Mots clés : alternative splicing, pluripotency, early embryo development

Participants :
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 158121.6 €
Projet MICRO-CLIMATE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Understanding natural climate dynamics is fundamental to anticipate, avoid, and assess mitigation potential for abrupt climate change, one of the grand challenges to global sustainability. As one of the most important natural archives, polar ice cores have led to the discovery of past abrupt climate transitions, such as the abrupt onset of stadial-interstadial warming in Greenland, happening as fast as just a few decades. The underlying processes remain to be fully deciphered, especially whether oceanic or atmospheric changes initiate abrupt changes, or if they act simultaneously. To study the sequence of events requires fine temporal detail, which conventional cm-resolution melting techniques cannot provide due to continuous thinning of ice layers. Laser-Ablation Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is a key technology in this respect, offering micro-destructive ice core impurity analysis at micron scale-resolution. At this high resolution, however, it is pivotal to avoid misinterpretation by taking into account interaction of impurities with the ice crystal matrix. MICRO-CLIMATE brings together, for the first time, two state-of-the-art LA-ICP-MS setups (at the Universities of Maine and Venice) to realize what one partner could not achieve alone: high-throughput AND high detail analysis for constraining signal preservation. In Venice, imaging the 2D impurity distribution detects the imprint of the ice matrix. In Maine, impurity profiles over meter-long ice core rods are investigated to decipher the timing of changes in marine, terrestrial and atmospheric proxies, before, during and after abrupt transitions. By this means a high-resolution fingerprint of the abrupt change is unfolded – which climate components change first, which follow? Ultimately, the project will advance our understanding of how to interpret ice core geochemistry at high-resolution and produce a refined LA-ICPMS application that can be employed in upcoming ice core projects.

Mots clés : polar ice cores, ice core geochemistry, abrupt climate change, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Participants :
- Ca' Foscari University of Venice (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 269002.56 €
- University of Maine System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet EvolVir (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Understanding pathogen evolution is key to predicting and managing disease emergence. While theory predicts that strong immune responses will generally select for increased pathogen virulence, current work mostly ignores the effect of immune-suppressed hosts on virulence evolution and on pathogen adaptation to novel hosts during disease spread. Further, the underlying genetic basis of the evolutionary change, that is, the genomic targets of selection, is seldom detected. I will apply a novel experimental approach by evolving the viral pathogen Drosophila C Virus (DCV) in its natural host Drosophila melanogaster, using host lines that are either immune-competent or immune-compromised due to the inactivation of specific immune genes. In addition to assessing changes in the evolution of virulence in these host lines (i.e. viral growth rate and host mortality), I will also take an evolve-and-resequence approach, using ultra-deep sequencing of the viral populations during experimental evolution. Using these uniquely detailed sequence data I will (i) identify the region of the viral genome under selection, (ii) determine if rapid virus adaptation is dependent on the fixation of new mutations or changes in viral variant frequencies from standing genetic variation and (iii) measure the rate of repeatability of pathogen adaptation in identical selective regimes. This work will test the role of immune-compromised hosts on the evolution of pathogen virulence, and also dissect the mechanisms that underpin pathogen evolution during adaptation to hosts with variable immune responses.

Mots clés : evolution, adaptation, virulence, rna viruses

Participants :
- University of Edinburgh (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet BIOFOODWEB (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Understanding species range distributions and the mechanisms regulating them is at the basis of fundamental knowledge on species’ vulnerability to extinction. Large part of the research devoted to understand these patterns have focused on the influence of environmental factors, ignoring the potential effect of trophic interactions. Conversely, food web research have mostly put their attention into local scale analyses ignoring the influence of biogeographical processes in structuring ecological networks. An evident gap thus exists between biogeographical and food web studies. BIOFOODWEB aims at bridging this gap by disentangling the influence of species interactions in determining species geographical range size (i.e. the extent of its spatial distribution). Species range size is a central aspect of biogeographic research. Multiple studies have used species traits, such as body size or niche breadth (i.e., the set of environments or resources that it can inhabit or use), to explain the variation in range size across species. While some dimensions of the niche, such as environmental tolerance, have been used as predictors of species range size, the influence of diet breadth (i.e., set of interacting partners a species has) has been seldom explored. This proposal aims to identify the importance of species biotic interactions in determining species range size. Previous attempts to test the relationship between species diet breadth and range size were restricted to small geographical areas or reduced taxonomic groups. For the first time, BIOFOODWEB will unravel the geographical variation in the relationship between species diet breadth and range size across multiple taxonomic groups and across spatial scales by using large-scale datasets that contain information on both species distributions and their trophic interactions. Such a general understanding will help us to better evaluate and predict species’ vulnerability to extinction under rapid environmental change.

Mots clés : ecological niches, species distributions, big datasets, ecological networks, spatial scale, theoretical ecology

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet TopOutEq (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Understanding systems out of equilibrium is one of the great challenges of modern science. In nature non-equilibrium behaviour is very common. In contrast, true equilibrium situations in which a system is characterised by a small number of time independent thermodynamic quantities such as temperature appear only as idealised cases. In condensed matter physics complex behaviour arises from the interaction of a large number of basic degrees of freedom. It is fascinating to uncover the richness of this behaviour, and to understand the universal principles that organise the physical world. One of the established principles is the Landau theory whereby states of matter are classified according to their broken symmetries. In recent years distinct ways were uncovered showing how this description can break down. During my Fellowship I will focus on condensed matter systems out of equilibrium beyond the Landau paradigm in regimes in which the laws of quantum mechanics are important. A burst of experimental advances has triggered a lot of activity in the field. Exciting developments come from pump-probe spectroscopy in correlated materials. In addition, progress in cold atomic gases offers the possibility of studying isolated quantum systems far from equilibrium and of engineering topological quantum states long searched for. However, most theoretical work on non-equilibrium physics is based on the idea of a local order parameter, absent in topological phases. In contrast, research on topological phenomena is concentrated on equilibrium properties. The intersection of these topics remains largely unexplored and is the focus of my proposal. The objective is to investigate the non-equilibrium behaviour of interacting and topologically ordered quantum systems. During my Fellowship I would focus on analytically tractable model systems and on calculating various observables in order to extract a degree of universality and to make direct contact with recent experiments.


Participants :
- University of Cambridge (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet BHmapping (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Understanding the behaviour of matter in the close environments of astrophysical black holes (BH) is one of the biggest challenges of modern astrophysics. This project aims to address the fundamental problem of determining the geometry of the inflowing matter around accreting BHs. The geometrical distribution of the accreted gas is a hotly disputed and still unsolved issue. Its relevance is tightly linked to the possibility of testing the effects of General Relativity in the vicinity of BHs. Moreover, it is strictly related to other fundamental problems, in particular regarding the nature and location of the X-ray source, the mechanism responsible for the launch of the jet and the determination of the BH spin. We propose to use a novel approach known as “X-ray reverberation”. This is based on the use of innovative cross-spectral-timing techniques to study the temporal response of the accreting gas to flux variations of the central X-ray source, thus allowing distances among the different emitting regions to be constrained. This project will use the best quality data, including those provided by the ASTROSAT satellite and the NICER payload. We aim to: map the evolving geometry of the accretion flow as a function of accretion state in Galactic BH X-ray binaries; study the coupling between the accretion flow and the jet; develop theoretical spectral-timing models to explain the data; investigate how these behaviours extend to the supermassive BHs in active galactic nuclei. The candidate is an experienced researcher (ER) in the field of observational X-ray astronomy, and has pioneered the application of the X-ray reverberation method to several accreting BH systems. By exploiting the long-term and renowned expertise in theoretical modelling of accretion processes around BHs of the High Energy Astrophysics group at the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center of the Polish Academy of Science, this research will allow the ER to emerge with new and competitive skills.

Mots clés : accretion  accretion discs, black hole physics, x rays

Participants :
- Polish Academy of Sciences (Pologne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 134462.4 €
Projet GENOMINT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Understanding the biogeographic histories of organisms is at the heart of evolutionary, ecological, and conservation research. In plants intraspecific hybridization is a common evolutionary event and a major method for speciation. Hybridization has the ability to create novel large scale genomic combinations. In addition, fertile hybrids with the ability to backcross to its parents can act as genomic highways, mediating gene flow between parental species. Hybridization is therefore a major source of genomic variation and it can act as a mode for unconventional interspecific genetic transmission. However, there is a large knowledge gap in the understanding of the evolutionary and ecological roles hybridization plays and how it affects the biogeographic history and genomic diversity of plants. In this project I will investigate these questions in the plant genus Mentha, which contains many natural intraspecific hybrid species. I will infer the effect of hybridization on dispersal rates and biogeographic history using whole chloroplast genomes from samples obtained from historical collections. Furthermore, I will investigate the effect hybridization have on the genomic diversity within Mentha and how hybridization have shaped the genus’ evolutionary history. Finally I will establish whether Mentha hybrid species act as genomic highways facilitating gene flow between parental species. The results of this fellowship will significantly increase our knowledge of the evolutionary importance of hybridization and its importance for shaping biogeographical patterns and genomic diversities in plants.

Mots clés : hybridization, polyploidization

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 200194.8 €
Projet Circdyn (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Understanding the cellular and synaptic basis of memory remains a central goal of modern neuroscience. Physical traces of memory exist as an enduring, experience-dependent change in neural activity in response to learning. In the hippocampus, a key region of the mammalian brain involved in memory formation and recall, new neurons are continually generated in the dentate gyrus (DG) where they form an integral part of the existing functional circuitry. Despite its key position in the hippocampal formation, however, the function of DG and its adult-born neurons in vivo has not been carefully investigated. Here, by applying transgenic and optogenetic approaches – including multicolour genetically encoded activity reporters – together with longitudinal two-photon imaging, we aim to study functional dynamics and plastic changes in DG in health and disorder. We propose that activity patterns in DG cell populations show activity-dependent changes during learning and construct a cellular and circuit basis for contextual memory engrams. We will also investigate how synaptic alterations in excitation-inhibition balance and defects in adult neurogenesis in DG lead to neurological disorders such as Rett syndrome.

Mots clés : neural circuit, two photon imaging, cell types, hippocampus, rett syndrome, calcium imaging, mecp2

Participants :
- University of Zurich (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175419.6 €
Projet EpiNet (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Understanding the factors that limit species distribution is a longstanding question in ecology. In land plants, species distribution is simultaneously limited by multiple factors, including climate, dispersal ability, competition, and species' physiological tolerance. The ecological requirements of obligate inter-specific interactions impose additional, often over-looked, limitations. How complex interactions influence plant species distribution has received little attention despite its relevance for species conservation in the face of global change. EpiNet will address this gap by investigating how two obligate partners, interacting with abiotic factors, influence plant distribution in mega-diverse tropical assemblages. Tropical epiphytic orchids provide an exceptional study model because they depend on two partners to germinate and grow: a host tree and mycorrhizal fungi. To this end, I propose to study tripartite interaction networks of tropical epiphytic orchids with their partners under different ecological conditions. I will examine the effect of host trees and mycorrhizal fungal diversity on orchid species distribution across geographical and local gradients, analyzing how abiotic factors such as temperature, humidity and light availability affect these interactions. I will establish germination experiments to assess whether orchids replace mycorrhizal partners over ontogeny or retain them for a lifetime. Mycorrhizal replacement is an understudied variable that may influence seedling establishment success. The methodology combines extensive data collection in natural communities (from dry to cloud tropical forests in the Colombian Andes), cutting-edge techniques in molecular biology (mycorrhizal DNA meta-barcoding), and advanced statistical analyses (tripartite networks). This innovative and integrated approach will provide an unprecedented, comprehensive understanding of the ecological factors influencing the distribution of tropical epiphytic orchids.

Mots clés : vascular plant ecology, molecular ecology, tropical biodiversity, species distribution, epiphytes, orchids, mycorrhiza, host trees, germination, network analysis

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 166320.0 €
Projet PRIMORDIAL (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Understanding the nature of the first stars is a fundamental problem in Cosmology and Galaxy Formation. Numerical simulations suggest that primordial stars were more massive that present-day stars, and so they rapidly disappeared. Heavy elements newly produced by these stars enriched the surrounding gas, out of which long-lived, low-mass stars formed. These "second-generation" stars survive until present-day, preserving in their photospheres the chemical imprint of the first stars. In the Local Group, high-resolution spectroscopic studies, offer us the unique opportunity to reveal these fossil signatures. But second-generation stars are extremely rare, making their detection challenging. In the current era of wide and deep spectroscopic surveys, such as Gaia-ESO, SEGUE, and APOGEE, we will have the chance to catch many of these stars. This project aims at characterizing the first stars by hunting their living fossils, in the Local Group. By further developing my cosmological chemical-evolution models, and exploiting the huge, unique, and already available data-sets for ancient Local group stars, I will simultaneously study the chemical evolution of the Milky Way and its dwarf satellites to: 1) define the host environment (halo regions, dwarf galaxies) and properties (chemistry, kinematics) of second-generation stars; 2) select candidates for high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up; 3) constrain strongly the primordial initial mass function. The latest results from the Turn-Off Primordial Stars survey, at the host institution, will be exploited. The proposed theoretical-observational strategy, never used before, will maximize the probability to observe second-generation stars, making use of the huge amount of new and forthcoming data to characterize primordial stars. The Paris Observatory is the ideal place to carry out this research, as it hosts major experts in spectroscopic studies of metal-poor stars, Galaxy Formation, and members of the Gaia-ESO survey.

Mots clés : first stars, metal enrichment, local group, chemical evolution, reionization, cosmology

Participants :
- Observatoire de Paris (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173076.0 €