Interested individuals must follow the "how to apply" link on the Geosciences E4 Doctoral Training Partnership web page: http://www.ed.ac.uk/e4-dtp/how-to-apply
Summary
Why do we senesce? Lifestyle appears to accelerate the ageing process in humans, but we know much less about the stressors that cause age-related declines in wild animals. This project will use a new molecular biomarker to uncover the environmental drivers of age-related decline in wild mice
Project background
Age predicts many things about health, including infections we might have, and the risk of dying from infections. Some individuals in every population present an even greater risk, because they are ageing very fast, or are 'grey before their time'. But why? In humans, we have some answers: lifestyle, reproduction and infections appear to accelerate ageing. We also know that certain parts of the human genome change expression due to age-related methylation, and these changes are linked to rapid age-related declines. However, to date, we know much less about what drives age-related declines in wild animals.
Recently, a molecular biomarker of methylation and age has been developed that can be used on wild animals. This technology is like rings in tree trunks, but it counts the methyl molecules that accumulate on DNA as individuals age. This is called an ‘epigenetic clock’, and this PhD project will deploy the epigenetic clock to identify individuals with fast-ticking clocks to uncover the environmental drivers of age-related deterioration in the wild.
The project will study the wood mouse - an easily-captured wild mouse where we can do something unique: controlled experiments in the field. The student will join our research group which is using large-scale field experiments to manipulate both nutrition and parasite infection in natural populations of wood mice to identify how these environmental factors influence the epigenetic clock and ageing. The project will use an exciting new multi-species methylation array technology that has already proven itself highly effective in other mammals. The student will identify locations in the genome, based on the >37,000 methylation sites on the array that are associated with age acceleration and deceleration in wild mice. Further analysis can investigate which genes and biological functions are associated with these ageing related changes. This will be one of the first large-scale deployments of an epigenetic clock to a wild animal, and certainly the first wild-experimental manipulation of stressors and their knock-on effects on epigenetics and the ageing rate.
The project is ideal for a student who wants to work at the interface of ageing, epigenetics, and ecology. The candidate will gain a range of transferable skills including expertise in field work on small mammals, experimental design, bioinformatics, and statistical analysis.
Research questions
What are the environmental drivers of senescence? What parts of the genome show changed methylation due to stress?
Methodology
The work will involve the electronic tagging and capture of wood mice in the wild. Samples will be subject to DNA extraction, and analysis on the MammalianMethylArray.
Year 1. DNA extraction and methylation analysis of previously captured wood mice from our field sites
Year 2. Hands-on field work applying experimental treatments in the wild. DNA extraction and methylation analysis
Year 3. Hands-on field work applying experimental treatments in the wild. DNA extraction and methylation analysis
Training
The successful candidate will receive extensive training with animal handling, experimental design and molecular techniques need to work with the MammalianMethylArray. The latter will involve training in bioinformatics and SNP analysis.
Requirements
The successful candidate should be willing to undertake extensive field work under all types of weather conditions, but should also be interested in bioinformatics and statistical analyses. Previous skills in these areas are not strictly required, as training will be given. Enthusiasm and interest in ageing and the above skills is the main requirement.
pedersen.bio.ed.ac.uk
The School of Biological Sciences is committed to Equality & Diversity: https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/equality-and-diversity
The “Institution Website” button on this page takes you to our Online Application checklist. Please complete each step and download the checklist which provides a list of funding options and guide to the application process.
Continue with Facebook
