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Unveiling the true historical and biological origins of key phenotypes in modern domestic horses

Project description

Key phenotypic traits in modern domesticated horses

Horse domestication approximately 5 500 years ago is associated with significant advancements in human history. It shaped a great diversity of horse phenotypes, contributing to human wealth. However, several underlying causative genetic variants and the geographic and temporal place of their native breeding centres remain unknown. The EU-funded HOPE project will identify and validate genetic innovations associated with the birth and spread of significant phenotypic traits during the history of modern domesticated horses. The project will apply pioneering methodologies on ancient DNA and population genomics toolkits for shortlisting genomic variants associated with important phenotypic characteristics.

Objective

The horse provided humankind with the ability to travel well above its own speed and changed the face of warfare, and the geographic expansion of people, languages and culture. As such, the domestication of the horse some 5,500 years ago represents not less than a turning point in human history. While domestication shaped a great diversity of horse phenotypes, fit for a wealth of human purpose, many of the underlying causative genetic variants, and the geographic and temporal locus of their associated native breeding centers remain unclear. The HOPE project is aimed at the identification and functional validation of genetic innovations that have accompanied the birth and spread of important phenotypic traits during the history of modern domestic horses. Our methodology will leverage state-of-the-art methodologies in two complementary research fields, each synergizing the core expertise of the supervising host and postdoctoral fellow. These will first consist of using the ancient DNA and population genomics toolkits for shortlisting genomic variants candidates for driving important phenotypic features, and second harnessing the full power of functional genomics to measure some of their biological mechanism in cellular. The HOPE project will, thus, fill an important gap in our knowledge of horse evolution and will mark the birth of a new era in archeo-genomics, moving away from the sole description of putative adaptive markers, currently limiting most common studies, to the investigation of the conformational, performance, physiological and medical in living animals.

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Topic(s)

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

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020

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Coordinator

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 196 707,84
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 196 707,84
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