Descrizione del progetto
Ruolo dell’epigenetica e del trasferimento genico laterale nell’evoluzione eucariotica
I protisti sono organismi eucarioti, per lo più unicellulari, diversi da animali, piante o funghi. La loro evoluzione è strettamente legata a quella delle cellule eucariotiche. Sono ancora in gran parte inesplorati, il che limita la comprensione del significato del trasferimento genico laterale (LGT) e delle influenze non genetiche (ossia epigenetiche) sull’espressione genica nell’evoluzione eucariotica. Utilizzando tecniche bioinformatiche all’avanguardia, il progetto Macro-EpiK, finanziato dall’UE, mira a comprendere in che modo questi fattori abbiano influenzato la macroevoluzione del genoma eucariotico. In particolare, lo studio determinerà la filogenesi degli eucarioti e traccerà il profilo genetico dell’ultimo antenato comune eucariotico. Verranno inoltre analizzati i meccanismi epigenetici e le influenze sui protisti, nonché l’affascinante possibilità che anche il trasferimento genico orizzontale abbia avuto un impatto.
Obiettivo
Multicellular organisms (e.g. animals, fungi and plants) are the best-studied eukaryotes but their ancestors and the vast majority of eukaryotic diversity correspond to microbial species (“protists”). The evolutionary history of protists is closely connected to the evolution of the eukaryotic cell itself.
However, most protist diversity is still genomically unexplored, limiting our investigation of eukaryotic evolution. For example, while the importance of lateral gene transfer (LGT) in prokaryotic evolution is well recognized, its role in eukaryotic evolution is still debated. In addition, although epigenetic mechanisms represent a hallmark of eukaryotic genome regulation, we know surprisingly little about the evolution of these mechanisms across eukaryotic diversity.
The overarching goal of my project is to understand how epigenetic mechanisms and LGT have shaped the macroevolution of eukaryotic genomes. This project has several inter-related intermediate objectives, which each in themselves will bring crucial insights into eukaryotic evolution: 1) reconstructing a robust phylogeny of eukaryotes; 2) inferring the gene content of the Last Eukaryotic Common Ancestor; 3) tracing the evolution of genes involved in epigenetic mechanisms and obtaining epigenomic maps from under-studied protists; 4) investigating the intriguing hypothesis of a possible interplay between epigenetic regulation and horizontal gene transfer and its influence on eukaryotic genome evolution: Have genes involved in epigenomic mechanisms been transferred between eukaryotes? Do epigenomic modifications affect the frequency of LGT in different lineages?
To achieve this, I will characterize the transcriptomes, genomes, methylomes and small RNAs of understudied eukaryotic microbes selected for their key phylogenetic position, and to analyse them using state-of-the-art bioinformatic methods. I will target uncultivated protists, using single-cell techniques and novel genome-scaffolding approaches.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC-STG - Starting GrantIstituzione ospitante
75794 Paris
Francia