Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
Content archived on 2024-06-18

Molecular analysis of the natural variation in vernalization response of Arabidopsis accessions

Objective

The model plant A. thaliana shows a wide range of genetic and phenotypic variation among natural accessions. Notably, adaptation of flowering time to specific environmental conditions is essential for reproductive success. This proposal will use our knowledge of the molecular basis of vernalization to uncover how Arabidopsis thaliana accessions have adapted to their environment. Analysis of flowering time and vernalization in Arabidopsis accessions provides a unique opportunity to link mechanistic understanding of a complex trait with an understanding of the fitness consequences of different alleles and their distribution within the population. The specific aims of this project will be 1) to fully define the molecular variation at FLC and linked genes underpinning the natural variation in accessions selected to represent a wide range of vernalization responses and 2) use the different accessions as a pool of “natural mutants” to gain a better understanding of the basis of FLC regulation during vernalization. We will first confirm that FLC cis-elements are involved in this variation by a complementation analysis, followed by mix and match experiments to determine which region contains the cis-regulatory elements that account for the variation. We will also analyse the epigenetic changes at the FLC locus which result from the polymorphisms in the cis-elements, as well as the role of other chromosome 5 candidates identified in a QTL analysis for the variation in vernalization response. In parallel, we will characterize important cis-elements in FLC required to initiate and maintain FLC repression during and after vernalization. We will then pick natural variants with polymorphisms in these cis-elements. Dissecting the molecular basis of adaptation is a major goal in evolutionary genetics and the results from this study are likely to provide important insights into adaptation relevant to many biological systems.

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.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Topic(s)

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.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF
See other projects for this call

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.

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator

JOHN INNES CENTRE
EU contribution
€ 168 256,91
Address
NORWICH RESEARCH PARK COLNEY
NR4 7UH NORWICH
United Kingdom

See on map

Region
East of England East Anglia Breckland and South Norfolk
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
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.

No data
My booklet 0 0