Seminar Prof Kirsten Bomblies

Polyploids, which arise from whole genome duplication, have contributed to genome complexity in all eukaryotic lineages. New polyploids are often broadly resistant to abiotic stresses and are thus a promising tool for agriculture. But evolutionary conundrums and practical roadblocks remain, as neopolyploids often have extremely low fertility. Moreover, it is not clear that the benefits that arise early persist in the longer term, raising the question why these traits might disappear. We hypothesize that polyploids need to make numerous adjustments to their biology during their evolution, and that some of the “beneficial” traits may be by-products of cellular challenges the evolution selects against. A major focus of our work is understanding how evolved polyploids overcome the initial challenges they face. A previous genome scan we did in a naturally polyploid lineage of Arabidopsis arenosa revealed numerous genes under selection in the tetraploids that likely relate to the re-establishment of full fertility and viability. One of the major groups of genes that came out of this encode proteins essential for meiosis, which is a well-known challenge facing polyploids, while at the same time, these gene lists have informed us about new traits which we did not previously realise were challenges for polyploids. By comparing diploids, neo-tetraploids and naturally evolved tetraploids, we can gain insights into what the initial problems are that polyploidy causes, and how selection can generate solutions to these issues.


Kirsten Bomblies, Plant Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland

Invitation : Mathilde Grelon, "Meiosis Mechanisms" MeioMe team


Seminar in connection with the research developed at the Institute Jean-Pierre Bourgin for Plant Sciences.