ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

The gas and dust in the interstellar medium (ISM) drive the chemical evolution of galaxies, the formation of stars and planets, and the synthesis of complex prebiotic molecules. The prime birth places for this interstellar material are the winds of evolved (super)giant stars. These winds are unique chemical laboratories, in which a large variety of gas and dust species radially expand away from the star. Recent progress on the observations of these winds has been impressive thanks to Herschel and ALMA. The next challenge is to unravel the wealth of chemical information contained in these data. This is an ambitious task since (1) a plethora of physical and chemical processes interact in a complex way, (2) laboratory data to interpret these interactions are lacking, and (3) theoretical tools to analyse the data do not meet current needs. To boost the knowledge of the physics and chemistry characterizing these winds, I propose a world-leading multi-disciplinary project combining (1) high-quality data, (2) novel theoretical wind models, and (3) targeted laboratory experiments. The aim is to pinpoint the dominant chemical pathways, unravel the transition from gas-phase to dust species, elucidate the role of clumps on the overall wind structure, and study the reciprocal effect between various dynamical and chemical phenomena. Now is the right time for this ambitious project thanks to the availability of (1) high-quality multi-wavelength data, including ALMA and Herschel data of the PI, (2) supercomputers enabling a homogeneous analysis of the data using sophisticated theoretical wind models, and (3) novel laboratory equipment to measure the gas-phase reaction rates of key species. This project will have far-reaching impact on (1) the field of evolved stars, (2) the understanding of the chemical lifecycle of the ISM, (3) chemical studies of dynamically more complex systems, such as exoplanets, protostars, supernovae etc., and (4) it will guide new instrument development.

2 605 897 €

Start date: 2016-01-01, End date: 2020-12-31

"The attine fungus-growing ants are prime models for understanding phenotypic adaptations in social evolution and symbiosis. The mutualism has many hallmarks of advanced cooperation in its mating system commitments and functional complementarity between multiple symbiont partners, but potential conflicts between sexes and castes over reproductive priorities, and between hosts and symbionts over symbiont mixing have also been documented. With collaborators at BGI-Shenzhen and the Smithsonian Institution my group has obtained six reference genomes representing all genus-level branches of the higher attine ants and a lower attine outgroup. With collaborators in Denmark and Australia we have pioneered proteomic approaches to understand the preservation of sperm viability in spite of sperm competition and the enzymatic decomposition of plant substrates that the ants use to make their fungus gardens grow. Here, I propose an integrated study focusing on four major areas of attine ant biology that are particularly inviting for in depth molecular approaches: 1. The protein-level networks that secure life-time (up to 20 years) sperm storage in specialized ant-queen organs and the genetic mechanisms that shape and adjust these “sexual symbiome” networks. 2. The ant-fungal symbiome, i.e. the dynamics of fungal enzyme production for plant substrate degradation and the redistribution of these enzymes in fungus gardens through fecal deposition after they are ingested but not digested by the ants. 3. The microbial symbiome of ant guts and other tissues with obligate bacterial mutualists, of which we have identified some and will characterize a wider collection across the different branches of the attine ant phylogeny. 4. The genome-wide frequency of genomic imprinting and the significance of these imprints for the expression of caste phenotypes and the regulation of potential reproductive conflicts."

2 290 102 €

Start date: 2013-05-01, End date: 2018-04-30

Brain consists of two basic cell types – neurons and glia. However, the study of glia in brain function has traditionally been neglected in favor of their more “illustrious” counter-parts – neurons that are classed as the computational units of the brain. Glia have usually been classed as “brain glue” - a supportive matrix on which neurons grow and function. However, recent evidence suggests that glia are more than passive “glue” and actually modulate neuronal function. This has lead to the proposal of a “tripartite synapse”, which recognizes pre- and postsynaptic neuronal elements and glia as a unit. However, what is still lacking is rudimentary information on how these cells actually function in situ. Here we propose taking a “bottom-up” approach, by identifying the molecules (and interactions) that control glial function in situ. This is complicated by the fact that glia show profound changes when placed into culture. To circumvent this, we will use recently developed cell sorting techniques, to rapidly isolate genetically marked glial cells from brain – which can then be analyzed using advanced biochemical and physiological techniques. The long-term aim is to identify proteins that can be “tagged” using transgenic technologies to allow protein function to be studied in real-time in vivo, using sophisticated imaging techniques. Given the number of proteins that may be identified we envisage developing new methods of generating transgenic animals that provide an attractive alternative to current “state-of-the art” technology. The importance of studying glial function is given by the fact that every major brain pathology shows reactive gliosis. In the time it takes to read this abstract, 5 people in the EU will have suffered a stroke – not to mention those who suffer other forms of neurotrauma. Thus, understanding glial function is not only critical to understanding normal brain function, but also for relieving the burden of severe neurological injury and disease

1 490 168 €

Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31

During the course of eukaryote evolution, photosynthesis was propagated from primary eukaryotic algae to non-photosynthetic organisms through multiple secondary endosymbiotic events. Collectively referred to as “secondary algae”, these photosynthetic organisms account for only 1-2% of the total global biomass, but produce a far larger part of the global annual fixation of carbon on Earth. ATP is the universal chemical energy carrier in living cells. In photosynthetic eukaryotes, it is produced by two major cellular processes: photosynthesis and respiration taking place in chloroplasts and mitochondria, respectively. Both processes support the production of biomass and govern gas (O2 and CO2) exchanges. On the other hand, anaerobic fermentative enzymes have also been identified in several primary and secondary algae. The regulation modes and interactions of respiration, photosynthesis and fermentation are fairly well understood in primary green algae. Conversely, the complex evolutionary history of secondary algae implies a great variety of original regulatory mechanisms that have been barely investigated to date. Over the last years my laboratory has developed and optimized a range of multidisciplinary approaches that now allow us, within the frame of the BEAL (BioEnergetics in microALgae) project, to (i) characterize and compare the photosynthetic regulation modes by biophysical approaches, (ii) use genetic and biochemical approaches to gain fundamental knowledge on aerobic respiration and anaerobic fermentative pathways, and (iii) investigate and compare interconnections between respiration, photosynthesis, and fermentation in organisms resulting from distinct evolutionary scenarios. On a long term, these developments will be instrumental to unravel bioenergetics constraints on growth in microalgae, a required knowledge to exploit the microalgal diversity in a biotechnological perspective, and to understand the complexity of the marine phytoplankton.

1 837 625 €

Start date: 2016-06-01, End date: 2021-05-31