An ambitious EC-funded research initiative on epigenetics advancing towards systems biology

In our group, we determine the dynamics, evolution and natural variation of DNA-binding sites of developmental transcription factors (TFs). The availability of genome sequences and NGS-based techniques to study gene expression and TF-binding sites in natural populations and outside established model plant species now allows us to assess the diversity and conservation of TF action in flower development. We want to understand how variation in cis-regulatory elements is created, and how cis elements are recombined to increase morphological variability. Understanding the mechanisms of meiotic recombination is one aspect of our work. We want to study how recombination initiation (RI) in plants is regulated by epigenetic factors as a first step to understand the evolution of cis-regulatory allelic combinations. The results will be integrated into a larger research focus area of our group where we want to understand natural variation/evolution of TF binding sites in plants.

People involved:
Cezary Smaczniak, PhD student
Marco Busscher, technician