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How Transposable Elements drive the Emergence of Phenotypic Innovations

Project description

Role of transposable elements in the process of adaptive radiation

Adaptive radiation is a process of an organism's rapid diversification from an ancestral species into a multitude of new forms. Transposable elements (TEs) co-evolve with hosts and are important elements of adaptation to novel environments. Blattodea insect order (cockroaches) is diverse, and previous studies suggest the TEs as a driving force during Blattodea diversification. The EU-funded TEEPI project will study the role of TEs in the organismal adaptation to rapidly changing environments while providing a way to prevent the expansion of cockroaches and termites as pests. The research will employ the new sequencing methodology, allowing to map precisely the different types of TEs and detect the TE families responsible for the adaptation of specific phenotypes.

Objective

How genome give rise to novel phenotypes is a major question in Biosciences. Transposable Elements (TEs) have co-evolved with host and are a major process by which organisms adapt to novel environments. Despite the discovery of the role of TEs in phenotypic innovations, the mechanisms and categories of TEs favoring their role in adaptive radiation remains elusive due to their repetitive nature. To palliate such lack of knowledge, I will take advantage of the new sequencing methodology providing chromosome length contigs, allowing to map precisely the different type of TEs, to sequence several cockroach species. Blattodea insect order is incredibly diverse and previous studies suggest the determinant role of TEs during Blattodea diversification, making it a perfect model to understand how and which TEs favor phenotypic innovations. I am particularly interested to investigate the role of TEs in the adaptation to wood feeding and sociality which led to the adaptive radiation of Blattodea species. My expertise in social evolution, its molecular basis and next-generation sequencing techniques, along with the computational expertise of Prof. Bornberg-Bauer lab will allow to detect the TE families responsible for the adaptation of specific phenotypes and as well by which mechanisms such phenotypes arise (e.g. chromosome rearrangement, gene duplication, regulation of gene expression). TEEPI will advance knowledge on the incredible role of TEs in the organismal adaptation to rapidly changing environments and may also provide a way to tame the expansion of cockroaches and termites, common pests that are on a rise with global warming. During TEEPI, I will gain scientific knowledge and transferable skills in computational biology such as genome assembly, and also on project management and outreach. This new skills are key to reach my career goal, which is to create my own research group on Insect Genomics, and also broaden my career perspective towards positions in industry.

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITAET MUENSTER
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 174 806,40
Address
SCHLOSSPLATZ 2
48149 Muenster
Germany

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Region
Nordrhein-Westfalen Münster Münster, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 174 806,40
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