Project acronym AVIAN DIMORPHISM
Project The genomic and transcriptomic locus of sex-specific selection in birds
Researcher (PI) Judith Elizabeth Mank
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS8, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary It has long been understood that genes contribute to phenotypes that are then the basis of selection. However, the nature and process of this relationship remains largely theoretical, and the relative contribution of change in gene expression and coding sequence to phenotypic diversification is unclear. The aim of this proposal is to fuse information about sexually dimorphic phenotypes, the mating systems and sexually antagonistic selective agents that shape sexual dimorphism, and the sex-biased gene expression patterns that encode sexual dimorphisms, in order to create a cohesive integrated understanding of the relationship between evolution, the genome, and the animal form. The primary approach of this project is to harnesses emergent DNA sequencing technologies in order to measure evolutionary change in gene expression and coding sequence in response to different sex-specific selection regimes in a clade of birds with divergent mating systems. Sex-specific selection pressures arise in large part as a consequence of mating system, however males and females share nearly identical genomes, especially in the vertebrates where the sex chromosomes house very small proportions of the overall transcriptome. This single shared genome creates sex-specific phenotypes via different gene expression levels in females and males, and these sex-biased genes connect sexual dimorphisms, and the sexually antagonistic selection pressures that shape them, with the regions of the genome that encode them.
The Galloanserae (fowl and waterfowl) will be used to in the proposed project, as this clade combines the necessary requirements of both variation in mating systems and a well-conserved reference genome (chicken). The study species selected from within the Galloanserae for the proposal exhibit a range of sexual dimorphism and sperm competition, and this will be exploited with next generation (454 and Illumina) genomic and transcriptomic data to study the gene expression patterns that underlie sexual dimorphisms, and the evolutionary pressures acting on them. This work will be complemented by the development of mathematical models of sex-specific evolution that will be tested against the gene expression and gene sequence data in order to understand the mechanisms by which sex-specific selection regimes, arising largely from mating systems, shape the phenotype via the genome.
Summary
It has long been understood that genes contribute to phenotypes that are then the basis of selection. However, the nature and process of this relationship remains largely theoretical, and the relative contribution of change in gene expression and coding sequence to phenotypic diversification is unclear. The aim of this proposal is to fuse information about sexually dimorphic phenotypes, the mating systems and sexually antagonistic selective agents that shape sexual dimorphism, and the sex-biased gene expression patterns that encode sexual dimorphisms, in order to create a cohesive integrated understanding of the relationship between evolution, the genome, and the animal form. The primary approach of this project is to harnesses emergent DNA sequencing technologies in order to measure evolutionary change in gene expression and coding sequence in response to different sex-specific selection regimes in a clade of birds with divergent mating systems. Sex-specific selection pressures arise in large part as a consequence of mating system, however males and females share nearly identical genomes, especially in the vertebrates where the sex chromosomes house very small proportions of the overall transcriptome. This single shared genome creates sex-specific phenotypes via different gene expression levels in females and males, and these sex-biased genes connect sexual dimorphisms, and the sexually antagonistic selection pressures that shape them, with the regions of the genome that encode them.
The Galloanserae (fowl and waterfowl) will be used to in the proposed project, as this clade combines the necessary requirements of both variation in mating systems and a well-conserved reference genome (chicken). The study species selected from within the Galloanserae for the proposal exhibit a range of sexual dimorphism and sperm competition, and this will be exploited with next generation (454 and Illumina) genomic and transcriptomic data to study the gene expression patterns that underlie sexual dimorphisms, and the evolutionary pressures acting on them. This work will be complemented by the development of mathematical models of sex-specific evolution that will be tested against the gene expression and gene sequence data in order to understand the mechanisms by which sex-specific selection regimes, arising largely from mating systems, shape the phenotype via the genome.
Max ERC Funding
1 350 804 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2016-07-31
Project acronym BIG_IDEA
Project Building an Integrated Genetic Infectious Disease Epidemiology Approach
Researcher (PI) Francois Balloux
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS8, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Epidemiology and public health planning will increasingly rely on the analysis of genetic sequence data. The recent swine-derived influenza A/H1N1 pandemic may represent a tipping point in this trend, as it is arguably the first time when multiple strains of a human pathogen have been sequenced essentially in real time from the very beginning of its spread. However, the full potential of genetic information cannot be fully exploited to infer the spread of epidemics due to the lack of statistical methodologies capable of reconstructing transmission routes from genetic data structured both in time and space. To address this urgent need, we propose to develop a methodological framework for the reconstruction of the spatiotemporal dynamics of disease outbreaks and epidemics based on genetic sequence data. Rather than reconstructing most recent common ancestors as in phylogenetics, we will directly infer the most likely ancestries among the sampled isolates. This represents an entirely novel paradigm and allows for the development of statistically coherent and powerful inference software within a Bayesian framework. The methodological framework will be developed in parallel with the analysis of real genetic/genomic data from important human pathogens. We will in particular focus on the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic influenza, methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones (MRSAs), Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a fungus currently devastating amphibian populations worldwide. The tools we are proposing to develop are likely to impact radically on the field of infectious disease epidemiology and affect the way infectious emerging pathogens are monitored by biologists and public health professionals.
Summary
Epidemiology and public health planning will increasingly rely on the analysis of genetic sequence data. The recent swine-derived influenza A/H1N1 pandemic may represent a tipping point in this trend, as it is arguably the first time when multiple strains of a human pathogen have been sequenced essentially in real time from the very beginning of its spread. However, the full potential of genetic information cannot be fully exploited to infer the spread of epidemics due to the lack of statistical methodologies capable of reconstructing transmission routes from genetic data structured both in time and space. To address this urgent need, we propose to develop a methodological framework for the reconstruction of the spatiotemporal dynamics of disease outbreaks and epidemics based on genetic sequence data. Rather than reconstructing most recent common ancestors as in phylogenetics, we will directly infer the most likely ancestries among the sampled isolates. This represents an entirely novel paradigm and allows for the development of statistically coherent and powerful inference software within a Bayesian framework. The methodological framework will be developed in parallel with the analysis of real genetic/genomic data from important human pathogens. We will in particular focus on the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic influenza, methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones (MRSAs), Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a fungus currently devastating amphibian populations worldwide. The tools we are proposing to develop are likely to impact radically on the field of infectious disease epidemiology and affect the way infectious emerging pathogens are monitored by biologists and public health professionals.
Max ERC Funding
1 483 080 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-11-01, End date: 2015-10-31
Project acronym BLUELEAF
Project The adaptive advantages, evolution and development of iridescence in leaves
Researcher (PI) Heather Whitney
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS8, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Iridescence is a form of structural colour which changes hue according to the angle from which it is viewed. Blue iridescence caused by multilayers has been described on the leaves of taxonomically diverse species such as the lycophyte Selaginella uncinata and the angiosperm Begonia pavonina. While much is known about the role of leaf pigment colour, the adaptive role of leaf iridescence is unknown. Hypotheses have been put forward including 1) iridescence acts as disruptive camouflage against herbivores 2) it enhances light sensing and capture in low light conditions 3) it is a photoprotective mechanism to protect shade-adapted plants against high light levels. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive: each function may be of varying importance in different environments. To understand any one function, we need a interdisciplinary approach considering all three potential functions and their interactions. The objective of my research would be to test these hypotheses, using animal behavioural and plant physiological methods, to determine the functions of leaf iridescence and how the plant has adapted to the reflection of developmentally vital wavelengths. Use of molecular and bioinformatics methods will elucidate the genes that control the production of this potentially multifunctional optical phenomenon. This research will provide a pioneering study into the generation, developmental impact and adaptive significance of iridescence in leaves. It would also answer questions at the frontiers of several fields including those of plant evolution, insect vision, methods of camouflage, the generation and role of animal iridescence, and could also potentially inspire synthetic biomimetic applications.
Summary
Iridescence is a form of structural colour which changes hue according to the angle from which it is viewed. Blue iridescence caused by multilayers has been described on the leaves of taxonomically diverse species such as the lycophyte Selaginella uncinata and the angiosperm Begonia pavonina. While much is known about the role of leaf pigment colour, the adaptive role of leaf iridescence is unknown. Hypotheses have been put forward including 1) iridescence acts as disruptive camouflage against herbivores 2) it enhances light sensing and capture in low light conditions 3) it is a photoprotective mechanism to protect shade-adapted plants against high light levels. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive: each function may be of varying importance in different environments. To understand any one function, we need a interdisciplinary approach considering all three potential functions and their interactions. The objective of my research would be to test these hypotheses, using animal behavioural and plant physiological methods, to determine the functions of leaf iridescence and how the plant has adapted to the reflection of developmentally vital wavelengths. Use of molecular and bioinformatics methods will elucidate the genes that control the production of this potentially multifunctional optical phenomenon. This research will provide a pioneering study into the generation, developmental impact and adaptive significance of iridescence in leaves. It would also answer questions at the frontiers of several fields including those of plant evolution, insect vision, methods of camouflage, the generation and role of animal iridescence, and could also potentially inspire synthetic biomimetic applications.
Max ERC Funding
1 118 378 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2016-07-31
Project acronym EVOCHANGE
Project Complex adaptation in photosynthetic microbes evolving in response to global change
Researcher (PI) Sinead Andrea Collins
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS8, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Microbes evolve rapidly in changing environments, and global change may soon cause future microbial populations to differ genetically and phenotypically from contemporary populations. We have both pragmatic and intellectual interests in microbial evolution, especially when microbial communities perform important ecological services. For example, marine phytoplankton are responsible for half of global primary production, and make up the biological carbon sink in oceans. However, marine environments are changing in complex ways, and future global carbon and energy cycles may depend heavily on how phytoplankton evolve in response to global change.
My research will study how photosynthetic microbes evolve in complex environments. First, I will use mathematical models and experimental evolution in a microalgal model system to compare phenotypic changes between populations that have evolved either in an environment where many variables change simultaneously, or in an environment where only one variable changes at a time. Second, I will use the same model system to study if and how heritable epigenetic change, such as methylation and miRNA regulation, affects long-term adaptation. Both sets of experiments will use environmental shifts that are associated with global change, thus providing information specific to marine phytoplankton evolution, as well as insight into fundamental evolutionary processes. Finally, I will use RAD sequening in natural algal isolates from high CO2 environments to map and produce a list of candidate loci that may have contributed to long-term evolution in elevated CO2. The results of this work will significantly improve our ability to use evolutionary theory to understand how microbes are likely to change over the coming decades.
Summary
Microbes evolve rapidly in changing environments, and global change may soon cause future microbial populations to differ genetically and phenotypically from contemporary populations. We have both pragmatic and intellectual interests in microbial evolution, especially when microbial communities perform important ecological services. For example, marine phytoplankton are responsible for half of global primary production, and make up the biological carbon sink in oceans. However, marine environments are changing in complex ways, and future global carbon and energy cycles may depend heavily on how phytoplankton evolve in response to global change.
My research will study how photosynthetic microbes evolve in complex environments. First, I will use mathematical models and experimental evolution in a microalgal model system to compare phenotypic changes between populations that have evolved either in an environment where many variables change simultaneously, or in an environment where only one variable changes at a time. Second, I will use the same model system to study if and how heritable epigenetic change, such as methylation and miRNA regulation, affects long-term adaptation. Both sets of experiments will use environmental shifts that are associated with global change, thus providing information specific to marine phytoplankton evolution, as well as insight into fundamental evolutionary processes. Finally, I will use RAD sequening in natural algal isolates from high CO2 environments to map and produce a list of candidate loci that may have contributed to long-term evolution in elevated CO2. The results of this work will significantly improve our ability to use evolutionary theory to understand how microbes are likely to change over the coming decades.
Max ERC Funding
1 492 338 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-05-01, End date: 2017-04-30
Project acronym MALADAPTED
Project An inter-disciplinary approach for identifying evolutionary active regions in the human genome
Researcher (PI) Toomas Kivisild
Host Institution (HI) THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS8, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Humans, like other extant species, have been successful in the course of evolution because of their ability to adapt to their ever changing environment. Both genetic and non-genetic evidence points to Africa as the main playground of our species for most of its evolutionary history, and suggests that for most of that history our ancestors fitness was linked to survival in low latitude specific environments. Over the past 100,000 years, however, humans dispersed globally, being repeatedly challenged to cope with the diverse range of natural environments and climate of our planet. The economic and cultural shifts from a non-sedentary lifestyle to a food producing and settled way of life in the last 10,000 years have further exposed us to a range of new diets and diseases related to increased population densities. In view of such major changes in the human environment, shifts brought about both by new lands, new socio-economic systems and changing climate, this project asks the question - How adapted to their environment are humans today? In order to answer this question, this project proposes a multidisciplinary approach that combines genetic and non-genetic evidence on human demographic history, phenotypic adaptation and genetic differentiation. The aim of the project is to reveal which parts of our genome have experienced the highest degree of change recently, thus showing us the way to identify those aspects of our biology that have been, or still are, most maladapted to our modern environments. The project will focus on three major aspects of human adaptation climate (cold, sun exposure), nutrition and lifestyle. To explore these, the project will focus on three areas of the world North Asia (Siberia), Southeast Asia and North Africa. For each of these areas, it will compare past and present environments, history of population dispersals, and contrast the patterns of phenotypic and genomic diversity in the populations living there today.
Summary
Humans, like other extant species, have been successful in the course of evolution because of their ability to adapt to their ever changing environment. Both genetic and non-genetic evidence points to Africa as the main playground of our species for most of its evolutionary history, and suggests that for most of that history our ancestors fitness was linked to survival in low latitude specific environments. Over the past 100,000 years, however, humans dispersed globally, being repeatedly challenged to cope with the diverse range of natural environments and climate of our planet. The economic and cultural shifts from a non-sedentary lifestyle to a food producing and settled way of life in the last 10,000 years have further exposed us to a range of new diets and diseases related to increased population densities. In view of such major changes in the human environment, shifts brought about both by new lands, new socio-economic systems and changing climate, this project asks the question - How adapted to their environment are humans today? In order to answer this question, this project proposes a multidisciplinary approach that combines genetic and non-genetic evidence on human demographic history, phenotypic adaptation and genetic differentiation. The aim of the project is to reveal which parts of our genome have experienced the highest degree of change recently, thus showing us the way to identify those aspects of our biology that have been, or still are, most maladapted to our modern environments. The project will focus on three major aspects of human adaptation climate (cold, sun exposure), nutrition and lifestyle. To explore these, the project will focus on three areas of the world North Asia (Siberia), Southeast Asia and North Africa. For each of these areas, it will compare past and present environments, history of population dispersals, and contrast the patterns of phenotypic and genomic diversity in the populations living there today.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 699 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-07-01, End date: 2016-06-30
Project acronym MODELING DC
Project Modelling platforms for high-power resonant DC hub and power networks with multiple converter systems
Researcher (PI) Dragan Jovcic
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE7, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary This research proposal aims developing modelling tools for designing high-power multi-terminal DC transformers based on resonant topologies. The DC transformers with fault isolation property are expected to play a crucial role in developing DC grids, like the proposed North Sea supergrid. The resonant DC hubs with inherent fault current limitation are proposed as a replacement of traditional AC substation, and represent fundamentally different approach to power system operation control and protection. The second parallel aim is the development of modelling platform for dynamics studies of future (AC or DC) transmission grids with numerous converter systems. This modelling platform will be capable of representing unlimited number of converter systems in analytical form (parametric domain) and supporting eigenvalue studies in frequency range below 150Hz.
Summary
This research proposal aims developing modelling tools for designing high-power multi-terminal DC transformers based on resonant topologies. The DC transformers with fault isolation property are expected to play a crucial role in developing DC grids, like the proposed North Sea supergrid. The resonant DC hubs with inherent fault current limitation are proposed as a replacement of traditional AC substation, and represent fundamentally different approach to power system operation control and protection. The second parallel aim is the development of modelling platform for dynamics studies of future (AC or DC) transmission grids with numerous converter systems. This modelling platform will be capable of representing unlimited number of converter systems in analytical form (parametric domain) and supporting eigenvalue studies in frequency range below 150Hz.
Max ERC Funding
718 016 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-03-01, End date: 2015-08-31
Project acronym STING
Project STING - A Soft Tissue Intervention and Neurosurgical Probe
Researcher (PI) Ferdinando Rodriguez Y Baena
Host Institution (HI) IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE7, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary Current trends in surgical intervention favour a minimally invasive (MI) approach, in which complex procedures are performed through increasingly small incisions. Significant technological advancements have been made in the area of endoluminal surgery, where natural orifices and accessible vessels are used to direct MI instruments to the target (e.g. endoscopes and endovascular catheters). In contrast, progress on the development of percutaneous instruments has been slow and new approaches need to be explored. Steerable needles and probes able to follow complex trajectories through soft tissue would have a significant impact on the effectiveness and safety of conventional MI procedures and especially on the development of new treatments which will follow on from advancements in medical imaging, tissue engineering and genetics.
This project aims to deliver a biologically-inspired system for MI surgery, capable of automatically steering towards and targeting specific soft tissue areas deep within the body. A total system suitable for clinical application will be investigated, but taken only to final prototype stage through laboratory trials. The system will be applicable to a range of soft tissue applications (e.g. brachytherapy, drug delivery, etc.), but key demonstrators will be in the areas of liver and neurosurgery. Every aspect of the system will be modelled, including the complex interaction between the probe and the surrounding soft tissue, with an aim to optimise the design for the two demonstrators and to develop a comprehensive research platform to aid future application-specific research on the bio-inspired design. As an adjunct to this work, which will broaden the range of viable future applications to the area of interventional imaging, MRI-compatibility will be addressed at every stage of the project to ensure that the overall system can operate in proximity of the scanner, while the probe will be suitable for operation from within the bore itself.
Summary
Current trends in surgical intervention favour a minimally invasive (MI) approach, in which complex procedures are performed through increasingly small incisions. Significant technological advancements have been made in the area of endoluminal surgery, where natural orifices and accessible vessels are used to direct MI instruments to the target (e.g. endoscopes and endovascular catheters). In contrast, progress on the development of percutaneous instruments has been slow and new approaches need to be explored. Steerable needles and probes able to follow complex trajectories through soft tissue would have a significant impact on the effectiveness and safety of conventional MI procedures and especially on the development of new treatments which will follow on from advancements in medical imaging, tissue engineering and genetics.
This project aims to deliver a biologically-inspired system for MI surgery, capable of automatically steering towards and targeting specific soft tissue areas deep within the body. A total system suitable for clinical application will be investigated, but taken only to final prototype stage through laboratory trials. The system will be applicable to a range of soft tissue applications (e.g. brachytherapy, drug delivery, etc.), but key demonstrators will be in the areas of liver and neurosurgery. Every aspect of the system will be modelled, including the complex interaction between the probe and the surrounding soft tissue, with an aim to optimise the design for the two demonstrators and to develop a comprehensive research platform to aid future application-specific research on the bio-inspired design. As an adjunct to this work, which will broaden the range of viable future applications to the area of interventional imaging, MRI-compatibility will be addressed at every stage of the project to ensure that the overall system can operate in proximity of the scanner, while the probe will be suitable for operation from within the bore itself.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 353 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2016-06-30
