CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF EPIGENETIC VARIATION IN MAIZE

Purpose

There is a growing interest in understanding how epigenetic variation might contribute to phenotypic variation. Epigenetic variation, heritable variation that is not due to sequence changes, has been observed in a number of biological phenomena. This project will study the prevalence, heritability and potential consequences of epigenetic variation on the maize inbred line B73 and on a set of 26 inbred lines that capture much of species' natural diversity. By focusing on this population we add epigenomic data to a wealth of existing information on genetic and phenotypic information and identify examples of epigenetic variation that contribute to "missing heritability".

Funding Source(s)

• National Science Foundation IOS-1237931