MethylRIDE · Charting DNA methylation reprogramming of Ice Age horses in the face of global climate change and extinction
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-01-01 → 2023-01-31
- EU contribution
- €196,708
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
MethylRIDE: Charting DNA methylation reprogramming of Ice Age horses in the face of global climate change and extinction
The Late Pleistocene period (i.e. the last Ice Age) is characterized by a succession of climatic events, notably the extended cold phase of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ca. 22–18 kBP), and the subsequent rapid warming and cooling events that signify the transition from the Pleistocene (14–11 kBP) to the current inter-glacial Holocene period (11 kBP–now). The Late Pleistocene roughly coincides with the mass extinction of iconic megafaunal species. MethylRIDE especially focuses on the contribution of (epi)genetic mechanisms to megafaunal phenotypic plasticity and the role it plays in micro-evolutionary change in horses. In MethylRIDE, we exploit a highly novel experimental system by using more than 100 well-preserved equine bones and teeth dating back up to 50,000 years in North America, as well as modern blood samples from horses caretaken by Native Peoples, to record and compare the way in which the (epi)genome responded to the dramatic swings in climate and environment that occurred during this time period. MethylRIDE builds upon this remarkable paleontological material and record in the Americas, as well as an equivalent material panel in Siberia for comparison, and applies cutting-edge biotechnologies to measure (epi)genetic variation in ancient horse genomes, and determine the tempo and mode of change throughout this time period and until their extinction. We contrast these patterns with detailed climatic and paleoenvironmental records to identify relationships between (epi)genetic change and potential environmental stressors, and specifically monitor the extent to which American and Siberian horse population remained isolated or connected through Beringia as a consequence of global environmental change. MethylRIDE has direct relevance to research in a wide range of fields, including evolution, ecology, archaeology, domestication, animal breeding, anthropology, indigenous cultural preservation, extinction theory and conservation.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
MethylRIDE: Charting DNA methylation reprogramming of Ice Age horses in the face of global climate change and extinctionAdaptation is one of the most essential processes in biology, by which species become fit to their environment. Following Charles Darwin, adaptation appears as the result of natural selection acting upon heritable variation. However, recent epigenetic discoveries have established the capacity of non-genetic changes in the regulatory layers of gene expression to shape our traits, including our medical phenotype. As such, our realized phenotype can no longer be considered as the sole product of our genome, but more as the combinatory by-product of our genome and epigenomes. The outcome of natural selection, which favors phenotypes associated to a higher reproductive success in a given environment, might, thus, be at least partly influenced by epigenetic changes. Yet, the possible participation of epigenetic changes in the process of biological adaptation is generally overlooked. MethylRIDE will take advantage of the preservation of ancient DNA molecules in paleontological material to track the changes in DNA methylation profiles of Ice Age horses, as they faced changing climatic conditions and selection pressures and, ultimately, became extinct. The unique combination of novel experimental and computational techniques developed will help assess, for the first time, the role of epigenetics in long-term adaptive strategies of large vertebrates in response to rapid climate change, and more generally the role of epigenetic change as a significant evolutionary force.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisCoordinatorFrance
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union