Objective
In the face of worldwide environmental damage, we need to determine the sources of phenotypic variation in natural populations to better estimate the ecological and evolutionary response of organisms to environmental threats. Here I propose to explore the molecular architecture underlying a fitness-related trait that is sensitive to environmental conditions in a wild frog. Amphibians are particularly responsive to environmental fluctuations and are undergoing worldwide decline as a result of climate change. Traits related to fitness, such as locomotor performance and the underlying muscle architecture, physiology and gene expression, are influenced by temperature in this taxa. I will identify the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle plasticity and adaptation to temperature in Xenopus tropicalis, an aquatic frog which serves as a model system in developmental biology and genetics. Specifically, I will selectively breed frogs over several generations under different thermal regimes. Some individuals will also be exposed to an additional stress (hypoxia) to evaluate the effects of tradeoffs and traits correlations on responses to selection. I will monitor the genetic changes in coding and cis-regulatory sequences of candidate loci, as well as epigenetic processes (DNA methylation and miRNA production) affecting the expression patterns of those genes. Additionally, I will perform whole-genome analyses (oligoarrays and sequencing-by-synthesis approaches) combined with quantitative genetic approaches (QTL analyses) to identify novel genes, gene pathways and epigenetic processes underlying the response to selection. Finally, in conjunction with collaborators, we will examine the biochemical, physiological and morphological (musculoskeletal) alterations associated with the response. Such a highly integrative and multidisciplinary project is crucial to understand the intricacies of molecular and phenotypic responses of natural populations to environmental perturbations.
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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- natural sciences biological sciences developmental biology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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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.
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.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008
See other projects for this call
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.
Coordinator
75794 PARIS
France
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.