Project description
Uncovering the secrets of crop plant epigenome evolution
Crop plants are essential for global food security, yet our understanding of their genetic diversity remains incomplete. DNA methylation, a key epigenetic mechanism, plays a crucial role in how plants respond to environmental stress and evolve over time. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the mC-EVOLVE project seeks to uncover the evolutionary principles governing crop plant methylation diversity. By integrating mathematical modelling, population genetics, and epigenetics, mC-EVOLVE aims to disentangle the evolutionary and environmental influences on methylation, assess the stability of methylation patterns across generations, and quantify evolutionary forces in various crop plants. This research could unlock new pathways to enhance crop resilience and adaptability, which is important for future agricultural innovation.
Objective
In this project, mC-EVOLVE, I aim to decipher the evolutionary principles governing crop plant methylation diversity. This newfound knowledge will unlock investigations into an underexplored source of functional variation. The project employs a multidisciplinary approach that encompasses mathematical modeling, population genetics, and epigenetics. It is structured around three main objectives:
Objective 1 - Separation of Evolutionary and Environmental Forces on Methylomes: I will develop an innovative inference tool to disentangle neutral, selective, and environmental influences on methylation variants. This will be achieved by inferring the genealogy along the methylome and evaluating the local correlations between genetic and methylation variants.
Objective 2 - Assessment of Transgenerational Stability of Methylation Alleles following Genomic Shock: Given that introgressive hybridization is a recurring phenomenon in crop plant enhancement, resulting in genomic shock and subsequent methylome remodeling, I will analyze introgression lines derived from crosses between wild and domesticated sunflowers to identify methylation patterns stable across multiple generations.
Objective 3 - Inference of Evolutionary Parameters in Crop Plants with Varied Methylation Patterns: I will analyze publicly accessible datasets containing genomes and methylomes from nine crop plants and their wild relatives to quantify the evolutionary forces affecting plant DNA methylation. This analysis aims to determine the variation in methylation rates across the phylogeny, facilitated by comparisons to the model plant Arabidopsis.
Through the development of a pioneering evolutionary inference approach for methylomes, the identification of the optimal marker class of crop plant methylation analysis, and the analysis of multiple open access crop plant methylomes, mC-EVOLVE is dedicated to advancing our comprehension of the evolutionary dynamics underlying crop plant DNA methylation.
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 biological morphology comparative morphology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
- 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)
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.
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-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global 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.
80333 Muenchen
Germany
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