Finding the Ghost in the Genome: Assessing the contribution of epigenetics to environmental plasticity in the soil sentinel Lumbricus rubellus

Projektinformationen

EpiWorm

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 329690

Projekt abgeschlossen

Startdatum 1 September 2013

Enddatum 31 August 2015

Finanziert unter

• Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Gesamtkosten € 221 606,40

EU-Beitrag € 221 606,40

Koordiniert durch

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
United Kingdom

Ziel

It has been established that the epigenetic landscape (cytosine methylation, histone modification and non coding RNAs) impacts on the underlying genomic architecture thereby regulating the transcriptional machinery and modifying gene expression. These elegant mechanisms of control influence tissue differentiation, organism life spam and can coordinate biochemical pathways responses to stressors such as UV light and elevated metal ion concentrations. It is the aim of this project to test the overarching hypothesis that:

“Alterations in the epigenetic landscape caused by exposure to environmental contaminants directly modulate the expression of specific genes increasing phenotypic plasticity and providing the mechanistic basis underpinning the organism’s responses to the stress inducing causative stimuli.”

We will test this hypothesis using, the epigeic earthworm L. rubellus, establishing it as a model to study the interactions between the environment and the epigenome.

The experiment plan is designed to derive a causative relationship between modifications in the epigenome and the ability of an organism to tolerate specific environmental challenges. The project will primarily exploit metals/metalloids (Ni & As) with a mechanism-of-action with postulated impact on the epigenome, but the wider aim is to establish a new paradigm between the epigenetic landscape and the environment.

The training programme will put great emphasis on exploring the opportunities provided by next generation sequencing technologies and the rich genomic resource provided by our target organism. This will require training in the technical, bioinformatics and informative frame works that will enable the production of a refined physical map of the earthworm epigenomic landscape. The training will exploit an established network of national and international partnerships with the primary goal of establishing the proposed fellow as a research leader in their own right.

Wissenschaftliches Gebiet

• natural sciences › biological sciences › genetics › RNA
• natural sciences › chemical sciences › inorganic chemistry › metalloids
• natural sciences › biological sciences › genetics › genomes
• natural sciences › biological sciences › genetics › epigenetics

Programm/Programme

• FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Thema/Themen

• FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF - Marie-Curie Action: "Intra-European fellowships for career development"

Aufforderung zur Vorschlagseinreichung

FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF
Andere Projekte für diesen Aufruf anzeigen

Finanzierungsplan

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Koordinator

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

Kontakt Verwaltung

Eevi Laukkanen (Ms.)

• EU-Beitrag: € 221 606,40
• Adresse: NEWPORT ROAD 30 36 ; CF24 0DE Cardiff ; Vereinigtes Königreich
• Region: Wales › East Wales › Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
• Aktivitätstyp: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Gesamtkosten: Keine Daten