GENMARPHYTO

FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS STUDIES IN MARINE PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY: ENVIRONMENTAL AND POLUTION EFFECTS ON PHYTOPLANKTON

 Coordinatore CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE 

 Organization address address: Rue Michel -Ange 3
city: PARIS
postcode: 75794

contact info
Titolo: Mr.
Nome: Ludovic
Cognome: Hamon
Email: send email
Telefono: +33 1 42349501
Fax: +33 1 42349508

 Nazionalità Coordinatore France [FR]
 Totale costo 332˙702 €
 EC contributo 332˙702 €
 Programma FP7-PEOPLE
Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
 Code Call FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF
 Funding Scheme MC-IOF
 Anno di inizio 2012
 Periodo (anno-mese-giorno) 2012-09-01   -   2015-08-31

 Partecipanti

# participant  country  role  EC contrib. [€] 
1    CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE

 Organization address address: Rue Michel -Ange 3
city: PARIS
postcode: 75794

contact info
Titolo: Mr.
Nome: Ludovic
Cognome: Hamon
Email: send email
Telefono: +33 1 42349501
Fax: +33 1 42349508

FR (PARIS) coordinator 332˙702.50

Mappa


 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

carbon    return    microbiological    successful    climate    environmental    alters    marine    metabolic    stress    almost    group    influence    found    organisms    give    phytoplankton    global    scientists    webs    microbial    oceanography    biology    metabolism    interactions    crucial    eukaryotes    mechanisms    genomics    synechococcus    photosynthesis    environment    microorganisms    determine    responses    groups    half    photosynthetic    cell    strains    planet    maintaining    unicellular    defence    food    cyanobacteria    genmarphyto    genes    pressure   

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'One of the most serious challenges for humankind this century will be to understand how climate change (past, present and future) influences life in the oceans. It is known that marine phytoplankton carry out almost half of the global net photosynthesis of the planet. Therefore it will be essential to determine how climate change alters microbial metabolism. However, the integration of cell biology and genomics into oceanographic research is not sufficiently developed, even though biological (and especially microbiological) processes are fundamental for maintaining a functional biosphere.

This project addresses the application of a novel molecular approach using genomics and metagenomics to elucidate metabolic activities under different conditions in the ocean in various groups of photosynthetic prokaryotes and eukaryotes. These techniques will also allow the rapid identification of candidate genes and facilitate the association of genes with specific metabolic and regulatory functions in different organisms spanning hundreds of millions of years of evolution. The initial phase of the project will investigate unicellular cyanobacteria using full genome microarrays analysis (outgoing). In a second phase, genomics studies will be done in diatoms, unicellular eukaryotes (return).

The novelty of the proposed research lies in its interdisciplinary approach linking oceanography with cell biology and genomics. A key novel aspect of the proposal is the application of a comparative approach to very different groups of photosynthetic organisms, which will allow us to contrast the strategies of responses to environmental changes between them. This will improve our knowledge of the crucial roles marine microorganisms play in maintaining the well being of our planet. The successful implementation of the project will result in a substantial transfer of expertise from a world wide-leading centre in marine biology to the applicant and his team on return to a European institute.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Marine phytoplankton plays a crucial role in maintaining the well-being of our planet, conducting almost half of the photosynthesis taking place on Earth and supporting food webs. It is therefore vital to understand how climate change alters the metabolism of these microorganisms.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The aim of the EU-funded GENMARPHYTO project is to examine the links between oceanography, cell biology and genomics. Marine cyanobacteria are a type of marine phytoplankton that make a major contribution to global carbon fixation and underpin the marine food web. Currently, understanding of gene regulation in marine phytoplankton, especially with regard to their response to environmental parameters, is limited.

Consortium members are addressing this problem, investigating different strains of marine Synechococcus (a group of photosynthetic microorganisms). The aim is to compare the responses of Synechococcus strains to environmental change and other available microbiological data. The results will enable scientists to understand why this group of microorganisms is so successful and abundant in the marine environment.

Project partners therefore are investigating which genes are involved in stress responses under stress conditions and comparing the responses of the different genes. They are also examining the connection between metabolic regulators and identifying the defence mechanisms of Synechococcus strains facing environmental or predation pressure.

Scientists found allelopathic interactions between different Synechococcus strains, whereby they produce biochemicals to influence the growth of other organisms. This discovery will increase understanding of how Synechococcus communities are structured in the marine environment.

Researchers also found that exposure to blooms of coastal marine Synechococcus changed motor control and preference behaviour in Californian black perch. In addition, predator-prey interactions between marine Synechococcus and nanoflagellates were examined to determine defence mechanisms in the face of grazing pressure.

Results from GENMARPHYTO will increase knowledge of how marine Synechococcus respond to changing environmental conditions. They will also give insight into the adaptability of the microbial community to future climate change. Furthermore, outcomes will give an indication of how this group of microorganisms can influence other organisms. This new knowledge is crucial to fully understanding the key role played by cyanobacteria in planetary carbon dioxide capture and marine food webs.

Altri progetti dello stesso programma (FP7-PEOPLE)

GPSDI (2010)

Gas Phase Structural Dynamics Imaging

Read More  

ADVIOT (2013)

Advanced Methods for Analyzing and Improving the Reliability and Security of Novel Environmental-friendly Wireless Devices for Internet of Things

Read More  

FUNMOLS (2008)

Fundamentals of Molecular Electronic Assemblies

Read More