EpiCycle · Epigenetic control of the cell cycle in a multicellular model organism

Multicellular organisms rely on a carefully regulated cell cycle to coordinate cell division and DNA replication. Epigenetic mechanisms can influence this process, but during early development it is still unclear how this happens. The flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana is a powerful model to explore this question. In particular, the endosperm, a tissue that nourishes the embryo, shows striking changes as it shifts from rapid cell divisions to a cell cycle arrest, offering a unique opportunity to study how proliferation is controlled. The Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), an important epigenetic regulator, plays a key role in these changes, but its exact function is not known.This project will explore how PRC2 affects endosperm proliferation. I will track epigenetic changes across different stages of endosperm development, compare these with the activity of genes that control the cell cycle, and test whether PRC2 interacts with the DNA replication machinery. To do this, I will use a combination of methods including epigenetic profiling, RNA-seq, advanced live imaging and an innovative technique to track DNA replication.This integrative approach will produce the first map linking chromatin, gene activity, and DNA replication in a developing plant tissue. The results will uncover how an epigenetic regulator controls the cell cycle, with relevance to other developmental tissues such as the mammalian placenta, and potential applications for improving seed size and quality in crops.