Project description
Revisiting the role of genetic clutter in sex chromosomes
The genetic differences between males and females in many species boil down to sex chromosomes that have diverged over millions of years. As the male Y chromosome degrades, it loses protein-coding genes, forcing the female X chromosome to work overtime to keep cellular protein levels balanced. The Y chromosome is known to accumulate genetic clutter (transposable elements) during this breakdown. This clutter is viewed as deleterious mutations. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TESexReg project will examine three pairs of ant-cricket neo-sex chromosomes undergoing regulatory evolution to change this perspective. Researchers will investigate whether this genetic clutter plays an active, helpful role by intentionally silencing dying Y genes. Project results could reveal how chromosomes rewrite their own regulatory rules.
Objective
Understanding sex chromosome evolution is crucial in evolutionary biology. In eukaryotes with separate sexes, sex determination often involves heteromorphic sex chromosomes that have diverged after recombination arrest. The Y(/W) chromosome loses protein-coding genes over time, causing gene dosage imbalance between sexes and Dosage Compensation (DC) mechanisms' evolution. The first steps of DC evolution are still unclear. Recent theoretical work suggests a gradual coevolution of X(/Z)-upregulation and Y(/W)-downregulation through cis-regulators divergence. In agreement, positive selection on Y-cis regulators drives Y-downregulation in stickleback. Yet, while it loses genes, the Y(/W) chromosome also accumulates Transposable Elements (TEs). This accumulation is generally considered as a source of deleterious mutations contributing to Y(/W) degeneration, however it could also actively contribute to the silencing of Y-linked genes, as the silencing mechanisms controlling TEs proliferation can spread to nearby genes. So far, this dual role of TEs has not been fully appreciated. The proposed project will fill this knowledge gap by examining three pairs of ant-cricket neo-sex chromosomes undergoing regulatory evolution. I will assess TE dynamics, its impact on cis-regulators chromatin structure and gene expression, and especially if TEs actively silence Y-protein accumulating deleterious mutations. This project will use a multi-disciplinary approach that combines comparative genomics, transcriptomics, epigenetics, and population genetics and portray sex chromosome regulatory evolution with an unprecedented level of detail. I will acquire new skills in epigenetics, deepen my knowledge of theoretical population genetics, and improve my management and writing skills. In exchange, I will share my expertise in bioinformatics and TEs, as well as my knowledge of a promising new biological model, which will certainly spark new research ideas and collaborations.
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 evolutionary biology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics chromosomes
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics epigenetics
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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75794 Paris
France
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