Project description
Cell cycle dynamics in plant development
Although the cell cycle is life’s universal engine, its epigenetic control during early development remains largely unmapped. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EpiCycle project is exploring how the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) regulates cell proliferation in the endosperm of Arabidopsis thaliana. The project’s methodology is diverse, combining epigenetic profiling and RNA sequencing with real-time live imaging to trace developmental milestones and test PRC2’s direct relationship with DNA replication. EpiCycle findings will deepen our foundational grasp of genetics while paving the way for innovative strategies to support future advances in crop improvement, including traits such as seed size and quality.
Objective
Multicellular organisms rely on a carefully regulated cell cycle to coordinate cell division and DNA replication. Epigenetic mechanisms can influence this process, but during early development it is still unclear how this happens. The flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana is a powerful model to explore this question. In particular, the endosperm, a tissue that nourishes the embryo, shows striking changes as it shifts from rapid cell divisions to a cell cycle arrest, offering a unique opportunity to study how proliferation is controlled. The Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), an important epigenetic regulator, plays a key role in these changes, but its exact function is not known.
This project will explore how PRC2 affects endosperm proliferation. I will track epigenetic changes across different stages of endosperm development, compare these with the activity of genes that control the cell cycle, and test whether PRC2 interacts with the DNA replication machinery. To do this, I will use a combination of methods including epigenetic profiling, RNA-seq, advanced live imaging and an innovative technique to track DNA replication.
This integrative approach will produce the first map linking chromatin, gene activity, and DNA replication in a developing plant tissue. The results will uncover how an epigenetic regulator controls the cell cycle, with relevance to other developmental tissues such as the mammalian placenta, and potential applications for improving seed size and quality in crops.
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.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine obstetrics
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine embryology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics epigenetics
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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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
8006 Zurich
Switzerland
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