How do the diverse genomes of living organisms arise? And what role do so-called jumping genes play in this process? These are the questions being explored by Magnus Nordborg at the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW). Together with Richard Durbin and Felipe Teixeira from the University of Cambridge, he has received one of the highly endowed Synergy Grants from the European Research Council (ERC). Around 3 million euros in European funding will thus go to Austria. 

A precise tool for genome analyses 

Genomes are not only blueprints for life but also archives of their own history. While individual mutations often change only a single DNA base, larger structural changes can have far-reaching consequences for function, reproduction, and evolution. A key driver of this process is the activity of transposable elements (TEs)—segments of DNA that can move within the genome and are often referred to as “jumping genes”. They alter the structure of genomes and shape their evolutionary dynamics. These TEs were first discovered in the 1940s in maize by the American geneticist and botanist Barbara McClintock, who was later awarded the Nobel Prize for her discovery. 

The Austrian-British research team now aims to decipher the mechanisms behind this co-evolution of genomes and TEs. Using modern methods of genome analysis and powerful computational tools, they plan to investigate how TEs arise and spread within the genomes of model organisms. At the same time, these methods will be applied to vertebrates such as cichlid fish from Lake Malawi and bats, in which high TE activity is often associated with rapid evolutionary adaptation. 

Advancing genetic models 

An important part of the research involves further developing models of genetic recombination. These models are intended to account not only for classical gene changes but also TE movements and other large-scale genomic alterations. The result will be a precise tool for understanding how natural selection, population history, and the inheritance of traits are interconnected. 

Since 2012, the ERC has supported research projects with Synergy Grants that bring together scientists from different disciplines to pursue goals that were previously beyond the reach of science.