Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ROOT BARRIERS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The root system anchors the plant and its cells absorb water and nutrients. Since plants are sessile organisms, controlling external compound entry is essential for plant survival. In vascular plants, the endodermis is the innermost root ground tissue cell layer that controls entry to the plant vasculature by formation of a barrier for free diffusion of solutes from the soil. Moreover, many plant species also contain an exodermis layer which also acts as a barrier. The exodermis is located internal to the epidermis layer. In a differentiated state, cells of both layers contain a Casparian strip. In Arabidopsis the Casparian strip is a lignin-like structure that is deposited as a ring in the transverse section of cells and around the secondary cell wall. Recently, the developmental framework of endodermis differentiation has been described in Arabidopsis and some important molecular players identified. Here, we explore whether endodermis and exodermis differentiation are regulated similarly. Since Arabidopsis does not contain an exodermis layer, the proposed project will use the tomato root as a model system to address endodermis and exodermis differentiation at the phenotypic and molecular level. Moreover, we will address whether there are differences among species that grow in different environments similar to the environment in which their growth has been adapted. In order to address this problem, newly developed tools and technology will be used to obtain a tomato root cell-type specific transcriptome as well as data analyses required for system biology and genomic approaches. The proposed project will shed new light on endodermis and exodermis development in tomato at the phenotypic and molecular level and will lay the foundation for study in other plant species.

Mots clés : tomato root differentiation, salt response

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 239191.2 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet TITINmap (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The sarcomeric protein titin (TTN) is mutated in 30% of patients with familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a common heart disease that is a global threat to the aging society. Aberrant alternative splicing of TTN is causally linked to DCM, therefore, to understand mechanisms of TTN splicing is crucial for developing therapeutic options, which so far do not exist for DCM. RBM20, a protein that regulates alternative splicing of TTN, is also mutated in many patients with an aggressive form of DCM. How RBM20 mediates alternative splicing of TTN is largely unknown. Due to its gigantic size, TTN mRNA is often precluded from transcriptome-wide single-cell analysis. Here, I aim to understand alternative splicing of TTN mediated by RBM20 on a single-cell level. To this end, I propose to develop a method for the detection of all transcript isoforms that can be produced by the 364 exons of TTN. Using this tool, termed TITIN-seq, together with complementary stem cell-based assays, I seek to analyze changes in the repertoire of TTN isoforms upon disease-relevant mutations in the RBM20 gene. Moreover, TITIN-seq is used to identify novel splice regulators of TTN, which, together with RBM20, could complete the picture of alternative splicing of TTN. The overarching goal is to construct a comprehensive map of TTN splicing by integrating data of all its isoforms in single cells and its regulatory proteins. I envision that knowledge of such a splice map can be exploited for developing therapeutic strategies to revert aberrant splicing of TTN in patients with DCM.

Mots clés : dilated cardiomyopathy, titin, long read sequencing, alternative splicing, single cell transcriptomics, ipscs

Participants :
- Stanford University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 176036.16 €
Projet SPRInG (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Doctoral Networks - Industrial Doctorates
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The scientific mission of this project is to develop a novel (In,Ga)N alloy that offers completely new opportunities to tune bandgaps and piezoelectric fields in quantum structures for highly efficient optoelectronic devices. This novel “rational” (n InN/m GaN) alloy is based on short period superlattices that stack integer numbers of m (n) monolayers (MLs) of InN (GaN), i.e. heterostructures of pure InN MLs embedded in a GaN matrix. The development of fundamental knowledge on this rational (InN/GaN) alloy as established for other III-V compounds is envisioned as the base for such devices. This objective will be achieved by a bilateral collaboration and the concerted action between Forschungsverbund Berlin (FVB) as academic institution, and TopGaN sp.z.o.o. (TopGaN) as non-academic partner. Besides, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) and the Institute of High- Pressure Physics – Polish Academy of Sciences (UNIPRESS) will also be involved as external partner organizations. As a specific strength, within the project “Short Period Superlattices for Rational (In,Ga)N” (SPRInG) we aim at unifying a unique portfolio of experimental competencies with high-level resources and infrastructures. These create an ideal research environment designed to promote an interdisciplinary collaboration and an international networking of the early-stage researchers (ESRs). The students will professionally develop and meet the challenge to solve very exciting scientific questions of the potential III-nitride future technology for solid state lighting. A quality monitoring scheme will ensure that the ESRs will receive an optimised training, which will prepare and qualify them for the research and development of future technologies in academic and non-academic organizations.

Mots clés : iii nitrides, inn gan superlattice, high in content  in, ga n, light emitting diode, laser diode

Participants :
- Forschungsverbund Berlin (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 996865.92 €
- Polish Academy of Sciences (Pologne) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- TopGaN (Poland) (Pologne) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 224137.44 €
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Allemagne) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet Lewis acid insertion (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The scope of this project is to find out how could valuable organic molecules be synthesized in a more efficient, more economically friendly way than the currently applied technologies offer. The answer may be the designed catalysis. The well-known layered double hydroxides (LDH) and their composites are suitable for offering solutions for different catalytic problems. Numerous materials belong to this group of chemicals. They are widely used as catalysts, their catalytic application is usually based on the advantageous properties of their building components or the general properties of the material itself. By the insertion of catalytically active Lewis acid centres such as Ag(I), Bi(III), Au(I), Zr(IV), Sn(IV) or Hf(IV) into the framework of the hosts via the metal ion direct or mechanochemically assisted co-precipitation or polyoxometalate intercalation, the main aim of our work is to develop multifunctional catalysts on the basis of LDH. In certain cases the structure of the LDH can be easily modified giving the possibility to design catalysts to a specific reaction by installing different functions/functional groups into the initial structure. By combining certain types of catalysts (forming hybrid structures) and applying them as tandem catalysts, “one pot” syntheses of complex organic materials could possibly be accomplished. To carry out the most efficient tandem reactions with green chemically approach, the project will be largely focused on the exploration of structure–activity relationships. All of the most relevant factors (porosity, dimensionality, hydration, effects of counter ions or hosts) are being systematically investigated to maximize the efficiency of the catalysts in the chosen reactions. Obtaining deep knowledge from the prepared hybrid materials and their catalytic properties, on the basis of well-characterized catalysts, feasible tandem reactors and/or tandem flow reactor for the chosen reactions will be planned.

Mots clés : lewis acid centres, layered double hydroxides  ldh, tuneable acid base character, tandem reactions

Participants :
- University of Queensland (Australie) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Szeged (Hongrie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 213530.4 €
Projet ChemoSense (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The sense of taste enables an animal to decide what it eats and drinks. Insects are able to discriminate among soluble chemicals via their gustatory receptors (GRs) in order to accept or reject a certain food plant or initiate mating and oviposition. Despite their essential role in the insect’s overall food intake, survival and reproductive success, relatively little is known about insect GRs, especially in beetles. This is surprising given their importance as agricultural and forestry pests, their global distribution and huge species number as herbivorous insects. I aim to identify and characterise GRs that mediate host plant selection in a specialist poplar leaf beetle, Chrysomela populi. These beetles feed on economically important poplar trees and damage timber plantations worldwide. It is hypothesised that the phenolic glucoside salicin in poplar is a major taste stimulant for C. populi and enhances feeding activity. However, it is unknown how salicin or, alternatively, other taste stimulants are detected by, and interact with specific GRs in C. populi to elicit feeding behaviour. I will elucidate these mechanisms by (i) identification of candidate genes encoding GRs in C. populi via tissue specific transcriptome sequencing and transcript visualisation via RNA-FISH, (ii) knock-down of single GR genes via RNAi to test the feeding behaviour of RNAi-silenced beetles, and (iii) test whether any of the taste stimulants from poplar function as in vivo and in vitro ligand for specific C. populi GRs by tissue-specific electrophysiological recordings and heterologous expression, respectively. These results will shed new light on the question how GRs function as regulators for herbivorous beetles to select and consume specific plants, which will significantly advance our knowledge in understanding host plant selection. As poplar leaf beetles are important pests, the results may also pave the way for timely development of sustainable pest management in forestry.

Mots clés : chemosensation, gustatory receptors, insect herbivory, specialists, insect plant interactions

Participants :
- Max Planck Society (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 171460.8 €
Projet Complementarity (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The so far unique role of our Solar System in the universe regarding its capacity for life raises fundamental questions about its formation history relative to exoplanetary systems. Central in this research is the accretion of asteroids and planets from a gas-rich circumstellar disk and the final distribution of their mass around the central star, our Sun. The key building blocks of the planets may be represented by chondrules, once molten silicate spherules that are the main constituents of chondritic meteorites, which in turn are primitive fragments of planetary bodies. Chondrule formation mechanism(s), as well as their subsequent storage and transport in the disk are still poorly understood and their origin and evolution can be probed through their link to unprocessed dust that accreted together with chondrules in chondrites. Contrastingly, while bulk chemical and isotope analyses of this dust (the matrix) and chondrules indicate that these components formed co-genetically in a single reservoir, individual analyses of chondrules suggest that they formed over a range of space and time, requiring storage and transport mechanisms. The candidate proposes to unify these seemingly opposing data in a single model that will result in significant and timely progress on the frontiers of Solar System research, including a bridge to astrophysical simulations that tackle planet formation and physicochemical constraints on the origin of chondrules. This model invokes bulk chondrule-matrix complementarity as a result of genetic relationships between individual chondrules and their dust rims. The necessary development of analytical methods to verify this hypothesis will contribute greatly to the advancement of small sample analyses, including cometary grains from sample return missions and interplanetary dust particles.

Mots clés : cosmochemistry, meteorites, chondrules

Participants :
- Institut de physique du globe (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 185076.0 €
Projet HyTeX (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The space industry is going through a transformational phase, creating unprecedented levels of growth for space and nonspace actors/industry. In the next years a significant increase in the market of small satellites up to 500 kg is expected. The HyImpulse start-up has been created recently and intends to bring to the market the key technologies for a game-changing, unique, low risk, innovative small launcher, with a 500 kg payload capability to LEO. The launcher will be based on a combination of novel and established technologies, using inherently safe hybrid propulsion (paraffin/LOX propellants). These engines combine a liquid oxidizer with a solid fuel thus enabling to benefit from both bi-liquid and solid technologies and advantages. Unlike solid and liquid technologies, hybrid engines did not benefit from large investments and research in the past due to the inherent complex phenomena occurring into their combustion chamber. This is however changing with the new space constraints which make hybrid motors serious candidate for future applications. This research fellowship aims at bringing hybrid propulsion from the current state of development to a fully mature technology enabling the flight of sounding rockets and small launchers. The action will allow the elaboration of novel measurement and analysis techniques to study the fuel regression rate, the wax composition properties & the engine performances and stability. In addition to the scientific investigations of complex and coupled phenomena occurring in the combustion chamber of a hybrid engine, an innovative wax manufacturing process will be optimised in collaboration with colleagues from HyImpulse. The most original aspect of the fellowship is the combination of scientific investigations of complex phenomena with innovative technical developments that are required to make hybrid propulsion technology competitive in the coming years.

Mots clés : hybrid rocket propulsion, fuel regression rate measurement, paraffin wax manufacturing process, liquid oxygen, engine performance and stability

Participants :
- Hyimpulse technologies gmbh (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 174806.4 €
Projet SpliceosomeStructure (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The spliceosome is a ribonucleoprotein machine that excises introns from pre-messenger RNAs. During my phD, I identified RNA ligands for the magnesium ions that catalyze these splicing reactions and showed that the spliceosomal U6 and U2 small nuclear RNAs form a structure resembling group II self-splicing intron RNAs. Although the spliceosome's catalytic core is RNA-based, numerous spliceosomal proteins promote the proper catalytic fold of this RNA core, juxtapose the reactive pre-mRNA elements with the U6 metal sites, and regulate spliceosome dynamics during the splicing cycle. Indeed, the Prp8 protein cross-links with the critical nucleotides of the catalytic RNA core and its crystal structure, reported recently by the host laboratory, revealed a cavity that accommodates the catalytic RNA core. Moreover, several helicases, such as Brr2 and Prp16, promote an active configuration of the U2/U6 RNA core and associated proteins and regulate their dynamics. The arrangement of such proteins in the assembled spliceosome and their interactions with the RNA core is presently unknown due to the lack of high-resolution structures of any spliceosomal complexes. I will study biochemically in vitro the interactions between the U2/U6 core and key proteins necessary for an active fold of the RNA core, with the goal of reconstituting and solving the high-resolution structure of a minimal active U2/U6 RNA core in complex with the reactive pre-mRNA sites and surrounding proteins including Prp8. In parallel, I will employ recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy sample preparation, imaging, and data processing, which were pioneered at the host institute, to obtain high-resolution (at least 7 Angstroms) three-dimensional reconstructions of endogenous fully assembled spliceosomes stalled at specific splicing stages. These studies promise to provide unprecedented structural insihgt into the configuration and dynamics of key RNA and protein elements of the spliceosome.

Mots clés : rna splicing, rna protein interactions, rna protein complexes, spliceosome, x ray crystallography, cryo electron microscopy

Participants :
- UK Research and Innovation (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet SOS TIPS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The spread of misinformation has been attributed to an increasingly digitalized and fractionalized information landscape. In such a milieu, relevance-based online environments can create “alternative epistemologies”, spawning distinct ways of consuming information that can be shared by millions in so-called “epistemic communities”. Information consumption and digital health literacy (ability to seek, understand, and appraise online health information) have a prominent effect on health outcomes and doctor-patient communication. Our initiative aims to increase digital health literacy via the development of guidelines for “Smart Searching”: how to conduct well-rounded searches, judge the reliability of online content, warning signs of questionable trustworthiness, and practical techniques aiding informed decision-making. These guidelines, primarily implemented in a browser extension scaffolding critical thinking, will be based on an empirical study examining how particular epistemic communities (anti-vax; users of alternative medicine) interact with online content and determine trustworthiness. The study will be conducted with a methodological innovation that enables the integration of eye-movement, human-computer interaction, and qualitative data in order to triangulate data types and thus better understand cognitive processes in online behavior. Our open source tool will comprise part of a larger kit: a unified qualitative-quantitative framework for integrating all three data types, a standard with which the tool can be implemented, and an open data depositing system. The initiative’s pivotal objective is to increase digital health literacy among the general public and to create a reproducible and sustainable system for future research aimed at understanding online information-seeking behavior. Gaining a deeper insight into information consumption within epistemic communities is essential in ensuring health equity and patient safety in a digitalized world.

Mots clés : health and illness behavior, information seeking, decision making, epistemology, misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, patient safety, digital health literacy, software development, open science

Participants :
- Maastricht University (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 253052.16 €
- University of Wisconsin System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet BRISOACTIONS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The stable isotope geochemistry of chlorine (Cl) and bromine (Br) are considerably different. While most Cl isotope data are in the range from -1.21 to +0.40‰, Br isotope data are from -0.06 to +1.48‰. Interesting is that Br isotope variations are of the same magnitude as Cl isotope variations. Also Br isotope values of ancient evaporites are very positive (+0.6‰), impossible to explain from oceans with a modern isotope composition. These data are unexpected considering the small fractionation factors for Br compared to Cl. The research we propose aims at understanding these observations and developing halogen stable isotopes to study fluid transport processes in porous media. This research has a great potential to understand the history and the migration of fluids in deep porous reservoirs which are considered for geological storage of CO2, H2 and hydrocarbons. First we aim to study historical variations of Br isotope compositions in the earth's surface reservoirs. We will study Br isotope variations in ancient evaporites that reflect Br isotope ratios of the oceans at the moment they were deposited. Second to study the geochemical processes that affect Cl and Br isotope variations. Isotope fractionation during ion-filtration that has never been studied in detail. This process is important to understand subsurface fluid flow and fractionation of ions and isotopes during fluid transport. We aim at studying Cl and Br isotope variations during this process. Also redox processes have hardly been studied. Oxidation processes can increase Br isotopes values more than Cl in spite of Br's much smaller isotope fractionation factors. Third to understand our observations we will compare the data obtained during this study with the geochemical cycles of Cl and Br. This will allow us to develop future research to continue to improve our knowledge on Cl and Br isotope variations as proxies to understand chemical cycles on earth, especially in fluids in deep porous reservoirs.

Mots clés : bromine, chlorine, isotopes, redox reactions, historical variation

Participants :
- Institut de physique du globe (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 185076.0 €