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

Phytoplankton support half of global primary production, fuel aquatic food webs, and drive global biogeochemical cycles. Phytoplankton transform inorganic nutrients into organic macromolecules. There is often a mismatch between the environmental availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and organismal requirements, which makes N and P important environmental stressors. These selective pressures affect genetic architecture and genome evolution in two ways, first as nucleic acids code for the genes responsible for nutrient uptake and second as they determine the N and P somatic requirements by defining the amino acids and nucleotides used to build proteins and RNA. The objective of INGENE is to estimate the impact of nutrients on the genomic structure and evolution of phytoplankton by following an interdisciplinary approach that combines laboratory experiments, genomics, bioinformatic analyses, and mathematical tools using ecologically important eukaryotic picoalgae as model phytoplankton organisms. Specifically, I will address the following sub-objectives: i) characterize the physiological traits and acclimation responses that define the uptake and use of P, ii) evaluate the impact of N and P availability on genetic architecture and genome evolution, iii) determine the effect of P availability on the whole genome mutation rate and spectrum, and iv) assess the links between genetic architecture and phenotypic physiological traits. Since eukaryotic picoalgae are the smallest known eukaryotic organisms, INGENE is poised to provide novel insights into our understanding of the minimal eukaryotic cellular structure. Moreover, by disentangling the effects of nutrient availability on phytoplankton at the molecular level, INGENE will improve our mechanistic understanding of the effect of nutrients on phytoplankton communities. This is particularly important to parametrize global models of the current global change scenario that is altering nutrient levels in the oceans.

Mots clés : phytoplankton, picoalgae, stoichiogenomics, nutrient uptake traits, acclimation, nutrient requirements, gene expression, mutation rate

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 196707.84 €
Projet HiPhy (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Phytosterols (PS) are valuable biomolecules used as nutrients and as feedstock material for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The challenge biologists and breeders are faced with is to develop bioengineering programs and valuable crops dedicated to the large-scale production of PS, which are currently extracted from agricultural waste materials. The goal of the proposal is to identify master regulators of PS biosynthesis and accumulation in plants. In fact, PS have essential cellular functions in plant growth and development, acting as key membrane components and membrane reinforcers, as signals in development and as precursors of brassinosteroids, a class of growth regulators. As such, the concentration of PS is highly regulated in order to comply with cellular homeostasis. To reach the goal, we will carry out a functional molecular characterization of a tobacco variant carrying a yet unknown semi-dominant mutation responsible for PS overproduction and Arabidopsis thaliana mutants exhibiting a suppressor phenotype of a defect in the production of precursors of isoprenoid lipids, such as PS. The work plan is to apply advanced genomics for next-generation mapping, leading to the elucidation of mutations in genes of interest (GOI) that regulate PS accumulation. The validation of candidate GOI will be done by genome editing and the role of novel alleles in PS metabolism will be performed by various functional and metabolomic studies. Finally, the combined expression of selected GOI with steroidogenic enzymes will be assessed by implementing in folia expression assays in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Mots clés : phytosterols, metabolism, biosynthesis, regulation, sterol esters, genetics, genomics, crops, phytosterol market

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 196707.84 €
Projet Nano-PieZoelecTrics (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Piezoelectric materials have become a key technology for a wide range of industrial and consumer products with a robust global market of U.S. $21 billion in the last 2013. Current technology includes applications on actuators, ultrasonic motors, sensor arrays for structural health monitoring, transformers, micro-energy harvesting devices, hydrophones, high resolution ultrasonic medical imaging, computer disk drives, and accelerometers in mobile phones and notebooks. Currently the most important piezoelectric ceramic materials are based on mixed oxide crystal system consisting of lead, zirconium and titanium, well known as lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Cost-effective and efficient synthetic strategies, structural modifications and doping by foreign ions represent the key steps to significantly improve the performance of PZT materials, such as piezoelectric, dielectric and mechanical stability properties. In this frame, we purpose a new research methodology based on the preparation, characterization and testing of hierarchical porous PZT-doped using alternative synthetic approaches (EISA method) and new doping materials (porous Mg-Niobate, Graphene/Molybdenite and Nanocellulose) to achieve important innovations and overcome the current state of art on the field of hydrophones and high resolution ultrasonic medical applications. Innovations are represented by the preparation of highly-efficient porous PZT matrices, not yet reported in the literature, with very-high surface area whit the idea to enhance the contact between PZT-matrix and media (water, medical gels, etc) and then increasing the sensibility and piezoelectric response of the device. Regarding new doping approaches, Nb-source will be nano-confined into the PZT matrices using the pores as hosting elements with the advantage of constraining dopants in nanoscale. Graphene/Molybdenit nanocomposite and Nanocellulose will be also used to replace critical Nb as also recently recommend by the European guidelines.

Mots clés : piezoelectric ceramics, porous pzt, biomedical imaging, nanomaterials, magnesium niobate, highly ordered mesoporous matrix

Participants :
- University of Burgos (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet PlaCe (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Doctoral Networks
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

PlaCe is a state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary ETN that aims at training-through-research the next generation of archaeological scientists, integrating a wide range of theoretical and analytical methods for the comprehensive study of pre-modern plasters and ceramics, the first synthetic materials produced by humankind. The interdisciplinary study of these materials from the pre-modern eastern Mediterranean, as well as the technologies, technological know-how, raw materials, and tools developed and employed through the millennia for their production, will provide the framework for the implementation of high-quality training that will assist the recruited early-stage researchers to face current and future challenges in the fields of archaeological sciences and cultural heritage. The eight universities and research centres composing the consortium of PlaCe will join forces in partnerships with other universities and entities from the public and private sectors, in order to facilitate the researchers’ mobility, to develop their analytical and transferable skills, and to increase their employability. At the same time, the multiple individual research projects accommodated by PlaCe will contribute to our enhanced understanding of the evolution of plaster and ceramic premodern technologies, and their adoption in differing social settings, contributing to the history and archaeology of Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.

Mots clés : archaeological sciences, eastern mediterranean, pre modern material culture, plasters, ceramics, laboratory analytical equipment, material properties

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 512640.0 €
- British School at Athens (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 243017.64 €
- National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos" (Grèce) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 486035.28 €
- Czech Academy of Sciences (Rép. Tchèque) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 234871.56 €
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 606345.12 €
- University of Cambridge (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 606345.12 €
- Cyprus Institute (Chypre) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 707510.16 €
- University of Cyprus (Chypre) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 471673.44 €
Projet PAMSEQ (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Placental malaria (PM) is a severe malaria complication in pregnancy, in areas with stable parasite transmission. It is a major cause of disease and death among pregnant women and their offspring. PM mainly affects primigravidae, as immunity is developed over successive pregnancies. This naturally acquired protection to PM is mediated by antibodies targeting a parasite antigen called VAR2CSA. Although VAR2CSA is a variable antigen, it has been previously demonstrated that the naturally acquired antibody response is generally broadly cross-reactive (meaning that serum from a multigravidae woman can recognize multiple VAR2CSA variants). However, the results of recently conducted trials of a VAR2CSA-based vaccine to prevent PM showed almost complete variant-specificity of the induced antibodies (only the particular VAR2CSA variant used for immunization was recognized), failing at mimicking what occurs during natural infection. This research project aims to resolve that conundrum by studying in detail the specificity and sequence characteristics of VAR2CSA-specific antibodies generated during natural infection. Specifically, I will collect B cells from Ghanaian women with naturally acquired PM immunity. I will then identify B cells producing antibodies that can react with a panel of recombinant protein variants selected to represent the global variation in VAR2CSA. I will then use an innovative technology (LIBRA-seq) to simultaneously identify the exact antigen specificity of each single VAR2CSA-reactive B-cell and importantly the exact sequence of the antibody encoded by the cell. The latter information will allow me to produce recombinant antibodies to be tested for cross-reactivity towards recombinant and native VAR2CSA variants, and for their ability to neutralize the function of VAR2CSA. The project has major potential to accelerate development of VAR2CSA-specific vaccines against PM.

Mots clés : placental malaria, var2csa, 10x genomics, naturally acquired immunity

Participants :
- Vanderbilt University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 242605.44 €
Projet MicroPhan (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Plant-feeding insects represent a significant part of earth biodiversity but also encompass many plant pests that cause major losses to agricultural crops. One key factor in their evolutionary success probably resides in the mutualistic associations they have established with bacteria that reside in their cells. These endosymbionts metabolize some of the nutrients lacking in their host diet and can be essential for successfully shifting to new ecological niches. However, intracellular lifestyle also often results in severe genomic erosion for endosymbionts that limits their metabolic versatility and in fine affects their host adaptive potential. In this project we aim at deciphering the role of bacterial endosymbiosis in the long-term evolution of plant-feeding insects. The main question we want to address is whether the evolution of obligate bacterial endosymbionts played a significant role in the diversification (speciation and extinction) of their hosts. Using the genome sequences of the main bacterial endosymbionts associated with a globally distributed aphid genus, we will: 1) reconstruct the history of aphid/symbiont associations by conducting phylogenomic analyses; 2) identify the footprint of selection and genetic drift in bacterial genomes by comparing patterns of molecular evolution within and between symbiotic bacterial lineages; 3) illuminate how changes in the endosymbiont community metabolic capabilities have accompanied aphids evolutionary transitions (host plant shifts, climatic tolerance, rates of speciation) using phylogenetic comparative methods. Using the data from an ongoing large sequencing project, this project will combine recent methods in phylogenomics, metabolic network analyses and the study of macroevolutionary processes. With this fellowship, the applicant will lead an exciting and innovative multidisciplinary project, supervised by international experts in microbial evolutionary genomics and insect macroevolution; this project will cre

Mots clés : coevolution, speciation, macroevolution

Participants :
- Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 171349.2 €
- Université de Montréal (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet D3NAs (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Plants are hotspots of microbial diversity, and novel lineages of plant-associated microorganisms are continuously described. Recently, floral nectar has been identified as the natural habitat of different highly adapted yeasts and bacteria which can withstand elevated sugar contents and the presence of plant secondary metabolites with defensive functions. As a consequence of their metabolism, these microorganisms can reduce the nutritional value of nectar and profoundly alter its chemistry, and thus modify pollinators’ foraging behavior and indirectly affect plant fitness. Although the bacterial species Acinetobacter nectaris and A. boissieri ("nectar acinetobacters", NAs) are among the most frequent bacterial nectar-dwellers, their diversity and intriguing ubiquitous occurrence in floral nectar still remain poorly characterized. Through a comprehensive study of the phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic diversity (“diversity(D)^3 approach”) of NAs, the proposed project aims to explain why A. nectaris and A. boissieri are particularly well suited to thrive in the “inhospitable sweetness” of floral nectar. This research question will be addressed by using state-of-the-art methodologies of high-throughput phenotyping, phylogenetic inference and whole-genome sequencing and analysis. The combination of expertises in applied phylogenetics of the applicant (experienced researcher, ER) and in phenomics and genomics of the host institute will be key for a successful completion of the work plan. Additionally, the implementation of this action will involve training in management, communication, dissemination and exploitation of results, and networking, all of which will boost the ER's potential for reaching a position of professional maturity.

Mots clés : acinetobacter, genomics, phenomics, phylogenetics

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160800.0 €
Projet COSMAGREEN (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Plants do not harvest the whole solar spectrum equally at the different wavelengths. They indeed reflect green, absorbs red and blue, so that we see them green. The consequence of that is that the solar spectrum is actually not optimised for energy conversion. However, incoming solar spectrum can be modified in order to shift less efficient wavelengths to more efficient one (like green to red) using fluorescent pigments or phosphors. In this way, photosynthesis efficiency can be increased. Meanwhile, when one uses standard fluorescent pigments implemented in a coating at the top of a greenhouse, half of the converted sunlight is emitted back to space due to their isotropic emission, thus lowering the conversion efficiency. To overcome this limit, we propose to use the properties of nano antennas for which it has been shown that they can change the emitting direction of pigments when they are placed in their vicinity. We will design a greenhouse coating that enhance photosynthesis by increasing the effective light inside greenhouses using coatings having nano-antenna phosphor pairs. Firstly, we will perform numerical calculations considering near field radiation and fluorescence, in order to find an optimum design in terms of antenna and phosphor size. Then, the coating will be produced in collaboration with a deposition facility using corresponding parameters from the numerical study. Finally, the actual design will be characterised using spectroscopy to determine the discrepancy between numerical and experimental study. Further actions like changing numerical solver and/or fabrication methods will be considered after a feedback from the two studies.

Mots clés : photosynthesis, fluorescence, near field radiation, greenhouse, coating

Participants :
- Université de Poitiers (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 196707.84 €
Projet SSPinROOTS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Plants in the legume (Fabaceae) family are able to fix atmospheric N2 under N-limiting conditions, thereby diminishing the need for N-fertilization. N2-fixation has a high requirement for photosynthates and ATP, and is thus tightly controlled by both the N-availability in the soil and P-level in the plant. Increasing the P-uptake through formation of branched root system and abundant root hairs will increase the N2-fixing capacity and thereby improve the overall nutrient use efficiency (NUE). Small signalling peptides are a largely un-characterized group of regulatory molecules in plants that induce signal transduction pathways upon binding to their complementary receptor signalling modules. Even in the most studied model plant Arabidopsis thaliana only a few of the more than one thousand putative SSPs have been characterized. Very recent work has revealed unique roles of SSPs in alteration of the root system architecture in response to nutrient availability, including the formation of root hairs under P-limiting conditions. Hence, a deeper understanding of the functional roles of SSPs appears to be of key importance for improving NUE. This project aims at advancing our knowledge of SSPs involved in the adaptation to nutrient limiting conditions in legumes beyond current state-of-the-art. This will be achieved using a novel bottom-up bioinformatic approach and unique mutant populations. The scientific objectives are (i) to identify the receptor signalling module and the down-stream target genes in the signal transduction pathway of a newly discovered P-responsive SSP essential for root hair formation, and (ii) to discover unknown N- and P-responsive SSPs in the roots and nodules of the legume model species Medicago truncatula with the aim of (iii) investigating the effect of SSPs on improving NUE. The proposed work will substantially advance our understanding of the functions in which SSPs are involved and will open up for new solutions aimed at improving NUE.

Mots clés : small signalling peptides, nutrient use efficiency, legumes, sustainable agriculture

Participants :
- Noble Research Institute (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 192162.6 €
Projet DECORE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Plants lack a nervous system and central decision-making organ like a brain, but can nevertheless sense and respond to environmental cues that play crucial roles in regulating their growth, through poorly understood mechanisms. The aim of DECORE is to elucidate these mechanisms, particularly those underlying the low temperature-mediated control of bud dormancy in the model tree hybrid aspen. A recent discovery in the host lab, pinpointing AGL8 as a low temperature responsive transcription factor involved in bud dormancy release, has lead us to hypothesize that AGL8-mediated transcriptional control of the plant hormone gibberellin, mobile signaling component FT1 (a tree ortholog of Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS T) and cell-cell communication together orchestrate bud dormancy release. In DECORE, Dr. Pandey will test this hypothesis by deciphering the interplay between gene expression, hormonal regulation and cell-cell communication during dormancy release, and simultaneously acquire skills in cutting-edge techniques like transmission electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry and mass spectrometry in leading environments at the host SLU/UPSC (Umeå, Sweden) and via secondment to CNRS (Bordeaux, France). Synergistically complementing the skills in biochemistry and genomics gained during his PhD, this training will provide Dr. Pandey with a unique opportunity to broaden his technical and theoretical expertise, which will promote a successful achievement of the project’s goals, open new vistas in developmental adaptation, and support his ambition of becoming a research leader. Dr. Pandey will follow a personalized career development plan to enhance his skills in communication, grant writing, public engagement and student mentoring. Thus, DECORE will contribute fundamental knowledge on a key process in seasonal adaptation, critical for mitigating the effects of climate change on seasonal growth in trees, and career advancement of a scientist with outstanding potential.

Mots clés : seasonal adaptation, bud dormancy, low temperature, gibberellins

Participants :
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 203852.16 €