Project description
Exploring epigenetic inheritance in fruit flies
Rapid adaptation to changing environments is crucial in evolution. Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, like paramutation, facilitates this adaptation. However, paramutation’s role in natural animal populations remains unexplored. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DrosoParamutation project will study paramutation in Drosophila melanogaster populations (groups of the common fruit fly species). Researchers aim to uncover how paramutation drives transgenerational epigenetic inheritance and gene expression variation. They will examine paramutation’s response to environmental changes and its stability across generations. They will also explore molecular mechanisms involving insulator proteins like Su(Hw) and 3D chromatin conformation. This project sheds light on paramutation’s role, bridging genetics, epigenetics and chromatin structure in natural settings.
Objective
Understanding how organisms rapidly adapt to changing environments is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI) has been proposed as a mechanism that allows organisms to respond flexibly to environmental variation and thus plays a central role in rapid adaptation to fluctuating environments. A compelling example of this process is paramutation, in which epigenetic information is transferred from one allele to another, leading to heritable changes in gene expression across generations. However, our understanding of paramutation in natural animal populations remains limited, with most evidence coming from laboratory models. This knowledge gap hinders our understanding of the role of paramutation in nature.
Here, we will study paramutation in different natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster to investigate its potential to drive transgenerational epigenetic inheritance and gene expression variation that can shape evolution. We will investigate the responsiveness of paramutation to environmental changes and its heritable stability across generations. We will also establish a model to dissect the molecular mechanisms of paramutation regulation, assessing the role of insulator proteins such as Su(Hw) and 3D chromatin conformation. This project will provide a comprehensive investigation of the role of paramutation in natural animal populations at multiple levels of information, including genetics, epigenetics, gene expression, and 3D chromatin structure.
This research proposal aims not only to determine the biological relevance of a case of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance such as paramutation in natural animal populations but more importantly to provide an excellent model system for its in-depth molecular dissection.
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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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-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-2023-PF-01
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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.
28006 Madrid
Spain
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