Project Details
Projekt
Unraveling the evolutionary, ecological and structural basis of microbial fiber degradation in nature
Subject Area
Metabolism, Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms
Term
since 2020
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 431547422
For as long as there has been life on land, Earth's terrestrial food chain has been based on the microbial degradation of cellulose-based fiber of photosynthetic products. Although extensive research has been dedicated to the evolutionary origins and mechanisms of the photosynthetic processes of land plants that generate fiber, very little is known about the evolution and ecology ofmicrobial fiber breakdown. Here, we propose a focused effort uniting cutting-edge research tools and expertise, by applying microbial ecology, extracellular proteomics, fiber-degrading enzymology, structural biology and molecular evolution, to understand the evolutionary history of fiber degradation and its interconnectivity with microbial ecology at a nanoscale resolution. To this end, in our first aim we will decipher the evolutionary origin of terrestrial fiber degradation and its occurrence in nature. This information will facilitate our second aim to uncover guiding principles for the establishment of enzymology and ecology of microbial fiber degradation in nature. Finally, in our third aim we will understand the ecology and evolution of microbial fiber degradation at the nanoscale resolution through spatial and structural high-resolution analysis via cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). Meeting these aims will enable us to gain answers and deep insights into how ecology and evolution of microbial fiber degradation are intertwined and reflected at the single-microbe and community context, from the biochemical, structural and physiological perspectives. Our study will thus provide astepping-stone towards defining and better understanding the central role of fiber degradation in nature and will reveal the Earth history of natural fiber-degrading microbial ecosystems.
DFG Programme
DIP Programme
International Connection
Israel
