Objective
This project will address a key question in evolutionary biology: the evolution of sex chromosomes and the origin and regulation of dosage compensation (DC). Degeneration of non-recombining sex-specific chromosomes (e.g. Y in mammals, W in birds) causes gene loss and dosage imbalances between sexes. While some organisms with ancient sex chromosomes (e.g. Drosophila, mammals) evolved chromosome-wide DC, such systems are not universally observed in birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, or plants. Emerging evidence in animals suggests that incomplete transcriptional DC may be buffered by post-transcriptional regulation, but whether this mechanism extends to plants remains entirely untested. To fill this gap, I will study two phylogenetically dioicous plants, Silene and Rumex, each with independently evolved sex chromosomes, using hermaphroditic outgroups as ancestral references. This will be the first study to integrate post-transcriptional regulation into the analysis of plant DC. For each species, I will generate three complementary omics: long-read, short-read transcriptomics and proteomics from the same individuals, tissues and developmental stages. I will test whether incomplete transcriptional DC is offset by post-transcriptional regulation. To trace the origin and tempo of DC, I will compare expression balance between sexes across evolutionary strata of varying ages, classifying sex-linked genes by synonymous substitution rates (dS) and functional categories. Long-read sequencing will further allow the first systematic test of whether alternative splicing (AS) contributes to DC in plants. Finally, integrating multi-omics from both vegetative and reproductive tissues of both sexes will enable a comprehensive view of tissue- and sex-specific regulatory dynamics. Overall, this project will provide unprecedented insights into the early stages of DC evolution and the interplay between transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation in sex chromosome evolution.
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 biochemistry biomolecules proteins proteomics
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA transcriptomes
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
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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-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European 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-2025-PF
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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.
OX1 2JD Oxford
United Kingdom
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.