EPIDIVERSE — Epigenetic Diversity in Ecology

Results in brief

Epigenetic Diversity in Ecology

Plants are the foundation of all ecosystems and they provide humans with essential services. Global environmental changes are now putting plants under increased risk, and it is important to understand the capacity of plants to adapt to this rapid changes. EpiDiverse has taken a cross-disciplinary approach to investigate the role that epigenetic mechanisms, specifically DNA methylation, play in plant adaptation. Understanding the epigenetic contribution to adaptation will help to predict species responses to global warming and can open new directions for sustainable agriculture and crop breeding. EpiDiverse brought together a consortium of academic and entrepreneurial groups to train 15 early-stage researchers (ESRs) to become a first generation of expert eco-epigeneticists, equipping them with the interdisciplinary skills - molecular, (epi)genomic, ecological and bioinformatics - to successfully tackle this new research area. Objectives of EpiDiverse were: (1) Optimize genomic and bioinformatic tools to enable high-resolution DNA methylation analysis in non-model plant species; (2) determine natural epigenetic diversity, and its relationship with environmental factors, climate, and phenotypes, in three common wild plant species across Europe; and (3) characterize the molecular basis and functional consequences of epigenetic responses to specific environmental factors. This approach is innovative and timely because it integrates several research areas that have not been optimally connected thus far. And it transfers analytical methods from laboratory research to the real world. The action was successful in developing a range of tools that facilitate epigenomic analysis, including plant reference genomes and novel software and best-practices analysis pipelines. Applying these tools to three focal plant species (Black poplar, Woodland strawberry and Field pennycress) generated novel insights in the nature of the epigenetic response to biotic and abiotic environments. The EpiDiverse research showed that this response differs between environments and plant species. It unraveled genetic versus environmental determinants of epigenetic variation in natural plant populations; and it revealed that the stability and dynamics of epigenetic variation differ between plant species with different reproduction strategies. Importantly, EpiDiverse trained a cohort of young researchers in a truly cross-disciplinary way. The EpiDiverse approach to let ESRs from different research domains (bioinformatics, ecology, molecular biology) collaborate on individual case studies generated much interaction between domains. It became easy for the ESRs to cross between these domains. This gave the ESRs an interdisciplinary research perspective on the field.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Plants are the foundation of all ecosystems and they provide humans with essential services. Unprecedented rates of global environmental change are now putting plants under increased risk, and it is important to understand the capacity of plants to adapt to rapid change. EPIDIVERSE takes a cross-disciplinary approach to investigate the role that epigenetic mechanisms, specifically DNA methylation, play in plant adaptation. Understanding the epigenetic contribution to adaptation will help to predict species responses to global warming and can open new directions for sustainable agriculture and crop breeding. In EPIDIVERSE, a consortium of academic and entrepreneurial PIs will train 15 ESRs to become a first generation of expert eco-epigeneticists, equipping them with the interdisciplinary skills - molecular, (epi)genomic, ecological and bioinformatics - to successfully tackle this new research area. Training in leading academic groups and in life sciences companies will emphasize empirical and informatics skills to become fluent and creative in extracting knowledge from big ‘omics data in natural contexts. In so doing, EPIDIVERSE will ensure the ESRs, and Europe, leading positions in this emerging field. To explain the real-life relevance of epigenetics in natural systems, we will (1) develop genomic and bioinformatics tools for epigenomic analysis in natural settings; (2) determine natural epigenetic diversity, and its relationship with environmental factors, in three common wild species across Europe; and (3) reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying natural epigenetic diversity through controlled experiments. This approach is innovative and timely because it integrates several so far disconnected areas of epigenetic research, and it will transfer analytical methods from laboratory research to the real world. These are important steps forward if Europe wants to understand, manage, and possibly enhance plant adaptability to pressing environmental challenges.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

KONINKLIJKE NEDERLANDSE AKADEMIE VAN WETENSCHAPPEN - KNAW · AMSTERDAMCoordinatorNetherlands
AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridSpain
BOTANICKY USTAV AV CR, V.V.I. · PruhoniceCzechia
EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN · TuebingenGermany
ECSEQ BIOINFORMATICS GMBH · LEIPZIGGermany
EIDGENOESSISCHES DEPARTEMENT FUER WIRTSCHAFT, BILDUNG UND FORSCHUNG · BernSwitzerland
GREGOR MENDEL INSTITUT FUR MOLEKULARE PFLANZENBIOLOGIE GMBH · WIENAustria
IGA TECHNOLOGY SERVICES SRL · UdineItaly
INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENT · MarseilleFrance
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT · ParisFrance
MARTIN-LUTHER-UNIVERSITAT HALLE-WITTENBERG · HalleGermany
MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV · MUNCHENGermany
PHILIPPS UNIVERSITAET MARBURG · MarburgGermany
ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS GMBH · MannheimGermany
UNIVERSITAET LEIPZIG · LeipzigGermany
WISSENSCHAFT IM DIALOG GGMBH · BERLINGermany

EPIDIVERSE · Epigenetic Diversity in Ecology

Results in brief

Epigenetic Diversity in Ecology

Project objective

Participants

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