TalkingPhages
Financiado
Decoding communication between mobile genetic elements
Communication between organisms is one of the most sophisticated forms of social interactions. It has been recently discovered that bacterial viruses (phages) show multiple social attributes including the ability to communicate ex...
Communication between organisms is one of the most sophisticated forms of social interactions. It has been recently discovered that bacterial viruses (phages) show multiple social attributes including the ability to communicate extracellularly with their progenies through a peptide-based system called arbitrium. This system is utilized by phages to guide life-cycle decisions, such as the transitions between their quiescence and virulence states. It has subsequently become clear that this system is not exclusive to phages but is also present in other mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and that its underlying design and function has diversified considerably. Despite the wide-ranging impact of these discoveries, the molecular basis of these new systems of communication, and their function in different MGEs, remain to be deciphered. More importantly, although it has been proposed that phages only communicate with their progeny, our preliminary results indicate that the arbitrium system can be used by phages and other elements to communicate with unrelated MGEs, sometimes present in different bacterial species. However, the prevalence and ecological role of this unprecedented inter-MGE communication is unclear. In the TalkingPhages project, we’ll explore all these questions and establish the molecular basis used by arbitrium systems to shape MGE diversity, interactions amongst MGEs and bacterial ecology and evolution. Our team combines expertise in MGEs and communication systems using tools from genetics (Penadés), biochemistry (Marina) and eco-evolutionary dynamics (Eldar). By exposing the multi-layered network of communications between MGEs, which is amenable for exploration on multiple levels of resolution, this project would set a milestone in understanding the complex eco-evolutionary dynamics of MGEs and the relevance of their sociality, with potential impact on our understanding of virulence and resistance in clinically and agriculturally important bacterial species.
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Duración del proyecto: 71 meses
Fecha Inicio: 2024-03-01
Fecha Fin: 2030-02-28
Fecha Fin: 2030-02-28
Línea de financiación: concedida
El organismo HORIZON EUROPE notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2024-03-01
Línea de financiación objetivo
El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
ERC-2023-SyG:
ERC Synergy Grants
Cerrada
hace 1 año
Presupuesto
El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a
9M€
Líder del proyecto
TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5