Date: 16th November 2022
Time: 13:00
Title: Intertwined Evolution of Plant Genomes and Epigenomes
Location: Lecture room B5, Forest Sciences Building, Latokartanonkaari 7-9 and remotely via Zoom
Host: Tanja Pyhäjärvi
Abstract: Eukaryotic genomes are organized and regulated by the epigenome. The epigenome includes a range of chromatin marks such as DNA methylation, histones, and histone modifications, which differentiate regions of euchromatin and heterochromatin. While the epigenome is frequently treated as an independent layer of genomic regulation, the epigenome is in fact intimately tied to and has evolved within the context of the underlying DNA sequence. The epigenome in turn directly and indirectly shapes the evolution of the genome. In this seminar I will discuss the correlated evolution of plant genomes and epigenomes, in particular recent work in my lab on the role of chromatin and transcriptional regulation in duplicate gene evolution and the impact of structural variation in local adaptation.
I am broadly interested in the evolution and functions of plant genomes and epigenomes. My lab works with a diverse range of plant species and even non-plant species such as dogs. Examples of ongoing work includes the evolution of cold-stress transcriptional responses in maize and sorghum, cis-regulatory elements in switchgrass drought responses, the role of transcriptional regulation and structural variation in local adaptation, and the impact of clonal propagation on epigenomic and genomics stability.