Evolution of supergenes and the genetic basis of snail colour polymorphism

Información del proyecto

SUPEREVOL

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: 794506

DOI

10.3030/794506

Proyecto finalizado el 5 Octubre 2018

Fecha de la firma de la CE 11 Abril 2018

Fecha de inicio 1 Septiembre 2018

Fecha de finalización 31 Agosto 2020

Financiado con arreglo a

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Coste total

€ 177 598,80

Aportación de la UE

€ 177 598,80

Coordinado por

STICHTING NATURALIS BIODIVERSITY CENTER
Netherlands

Objetivo

The concept of a supergene, proposed nearly 80 years ago, has become a hot topic in biology. Supergenes are clusters of several loci, each affecting a different morphological or behavioural trait; tight physical linkage and chromosomal inversions suppress recombination so that multiple phenotypic characters are inherited as a single locus. Supergenes play a crucial role in the maintenance of highly discrete adaptive phenotypes, eventually leading to reproductive isolation and speciation. Despite the panoply of complex polymorphisms presumably controlled by supergenes, molecular evidence for their existence is scarce, and the emergence of such genetic architecture is surprisingly poorly understood. The proposed project helps to fill this scientific gap by investigating the supergene that controls shell colour polymorphism in a classical model for ecological genetics and climate-induced evolutionary change, the land snail Cepaea nemoralis. In particular, I will 1) sequence and assemble the genome of C. nemoralis, and 2) identify the individual components of its supergene by linkage mapping in laboratory crosses and association mapping in natural populations. I will do this by taking advantage of the most recent technical breakthroughs in DNA sequencing and bioinformatics. Combining my extensive knowledge of animal coloration with my host laboratory's track record in biodiversity research and genomics, this project offers a unique
window into the evolution of supergenes and polymorphisms and provides the European research community with a valuable genomic resource. By uncovering the molecular basis of C. nemoralis supergene I will establish this species as a prominent European model in evolutionary developmental biology. This fellowship will not only allow me to expand my technical and analytical skills, but also enhance my transferable skills, helping me to re-establish myself as a researcher and pave a path through which I will reach professional maturity.

Ámbito científico (EuroSciVoc)

• ingeniería y tecnología › ingeniería de materiales › colores
• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › genética › ADN
• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › biología del desarrollo
• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › ecología › ecosistemas
• ciencias naturales › ciencias biológicas › genética › genoma

Palabras clave

• Gastropods
• shell coloration
• polymorphism
• genome architecture
• genome sequencing
• linkage mapping
• association mapping
• RAD sequencing
• sequence capture
• climate change

Programa(s)

• H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions PROGRAMA PRINCIPAL
  
• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
  

Tema(s)

• MSCA-IF-2017 - Individual Fellowships
  

Régimen de financiación

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

Convocatoria de propuestas

H2020-MSCA-IF-2017

Coordinador

STICHTING NATURALIS BIODIVERSITY CENTER

• Aportación neta de la UEn: € 177 598,80
• Dirección: DARWINWEG 2 ; 2333 CR Leiden ; Países Bajos
• Tipo de actividad: Research Organisations
• Coste total: € 177 598,80