Project description
Role of transposable elements in rapid evolutionary changes
Genome sequence variation is dominated by structural variation driven largely by transposable elements (TEs) and often with greater functional and reproductive effects than point mutations and homologous recombination. Furthermore, sequence variation is intricately linked to genomic evolution. The ambitious ERC-funded GENELT project aims to connect top-down genomic sequence analysis with bottom-up mechanistic studies of TE function to shed new light on genome sequence variation and evolution. GENELT will develop advanced computational tools integrated with powerful population genetic, phylogenetic and experimental approaches. It will also extend ‘ancestral recombination graph’ approaches to incorporate structural rearrangements. These tools will be applied to investigate heightened TE activity and rapid evolutionary change in the model plant and animal genera Arabidopsis and Drosophila, and two vertebrate systems.
Objective
Understanding how genomes work is intimately entangled with understanding how they evolved. Although most individual mutations are single-base, more sequence is changed through structural variation, which itself is in large part driven by transposable elements (TEs), frequently with greater functional and reproductive consequences. Here we will take a multi-pronged and interdisciplinary approach to advance our understanding of how the genomes of multicellular eukaryotes and their TEs co-evolve, building on the near-perfect genome assemblies arriving at an exponentially increasing rate from long-read technologies.
We will develop new efficient computational tools that operate at the scale of the data that is coming, and couple them to powerful population genetic, phylogenetic and experimental approaches to study the dynamics of TE invasions in Arabidopsis and Drosophila, the preeminent systems for genetic analysis of TE-host interactions. We will extend “ancestral recombination graph” approaches beyond current models of point mutation and homologous recombination to also support transposition, non-homologous recombination and other forms of structural rearrangement - this will properly account for these processes in a powerful framework for analysis of selection, population history and trait association. We will then apply these tools to two vertebrate systems, the Malawi cichlid fish radiation and the bats, in both of which increased TE activity is seen alongside rapid evolution with remarkable adaptations to phenotype and lifestyle, and will collaborate with others including those generating large Tree of Life genome datasets.
The resulting advances will connect top-down genomic sequence analysis with bottom-up mechanistic studies of TE function, via population-genetic analysis of demography and selection. This will support the development of a new framework, methodology and understanding of genome sequence variation and genome evolution in all its variety.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-SyG
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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.
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
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