This action funds an NSF National Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2014. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Chad E. Niederhuth is "Epigenomic Engineering in Soybeans to Unlock Cryptic Genetic Variation" The host institution for the fellowship is the University of Georgia and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Robert J. Schmitz.
Genomes possess an additional layer of information found not in the underlying DNA sequence, but in the modification of cytosine residues by methylation. As DNA methylation is a mechanism of regulating gene expression, it sits at the boundary between genotype and phenotype. Variants in the methylation status, or epialleles, not only affect the phenotype, but can also be heritable, being stably inherited across multiple generations without alteration to the underlying DNA sequence. Together with the proteins that make up chromatin structure, DNA methylation is part of a code that has come to be called the epigenome. Unlocking the nature of this code and finding mechanisms to manipulate it will add additional tools for breeders to translate discovery to application towards improving plant health and production. Training objectives include plant genetics, DNA methylation, epigenomics, bioinformatics, and quantitative genetics. Broader impacts include the mentoring and training of students, including outreach programs to underrepresented groups. This will include local outreach and aiding in the development of new courses.
This research proposes to uncover the links between methylation and phenotypes by using a multipronged approach to disrupt DNA methylation in soybeans followed by identification of methylation variants through whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. As part of this work, novel experimental populations of soybean for mapping epigenetic quantitative trait loci associated with phenotypic variation will be developed. In addition, new methods of targeted epigenome engineering will be used to confirm these associations and enable the use of the epigenome for plant improvement.
