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Doctoral study program: Life Sciences

Supervisor: Dr. Anna Schulten

Topic title: Epigenetic silencing mechanisms in plant environmental responses

Annotation:

Organisms can register and remember environmental signals through mechanisms that sustain changes in gene expression. Such memory is provided by epigenetic DNA or histone modifications. In plants, VEL proteins are accessory components to the histone-modifying Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), which establishes and maintains transcriptionally silent chromatin states. This PhD project aims to investigate how structural and biochemical features of these Polycomb proteins determine their biological function in environmental responses using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Building on recent evidence that VEL proteins can form higher-order assemblies through polymerization, a key focus of this project will be to elucidate how VEL polymerization properties influence epigenetic silencing dynamics in the regulation of cold-induced flowering (vernalization). The research will combine molecular and genetic approaches, including plant genetic engineering, with protein biochemistry methods to investigate protein-protein and protein-chromatin interactions and their impact on histone modification profiles. This will provide new insights into the gene regulation mechanisms that control plant development and adaptation in response to environmental cues. Understanding how environmental cues influence epigenetic variation is becoming increasingly critical, as climate change forces organisms to cope with rapidly changing environments.

Recommended literature:

  • Schulten, A. et al. VEL-dependent polymerization maintains the chromatin association of Polycomb proteins for the switch to epigenetic silencing. Molecular Cell 85, 3321–3332.e3325, doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2025.08.002 (2025).
  • Fiedler, M. et al. Head-to-tail polymerization by VEL proteins underpins cold-induced Polycomb silencing in flowering control. Cell Reports 41, doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111607 (2022).
  • Bienz, M. Head-to-Tail Polymerization in the Assembly of Biomolecular Condensates. Cell 182, 799–811, doi:10.1016/j.cell.2020.07.037 (2020).
  • Whittaker, C. & Dean, C. The FLC Locus: A Platform for Discoveries in Epigenetics and Adaptation. Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology 33, 555–575, doi:10.1146/annurev-cellbio-100616-060546 (2017).
  • Laugesen, A., Højfeldt, J. W. & Helin, K. Molecular Mechanisms Directing PRC2 Recruitment and H3K27 Methylation. Molecular Cell 74, 8–18, doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2019.03.011 (2019).

Research area: Plant gene regulation

Keywords: epigenetics, gene regulation, plant biology, environmental response

Funding of the PhD candidate:

The PhD candidate will be funded from the starting package for the supervisor‘s group leader position beginning in 2026.

In the academic year 2026/27 the net income of the CEITEC PhD School student is expected to be at least CZK 29,400 (approx. EUR 1215)

Requirements for candidate:

  • The prospective student should have a background in molecular biology, plant science or related field. Experience in epigenetics or protein biochemistry is plus, but not required. Highly motivated candidates who can work independently as well as be a team player and learn from others in the lab are strongly encouraged to apply.

Information about the supervisor:

Anna Schulten will establish her new research group at CEITEC MU in 2026 and is running the first round of hiring PhD candidates. Anna‘s core research interest lies in how plants regulate gene expression in response to abiotic environmental cues. Over the past years she has maintained a consistent, near-annual, publication record of research and review articles in high quality journals (including The Plant Cell, Molecular Cell and Current Opinion in Plant Science) in this research area. She has supervised several Bachelor and Master students during wet lab research projects. The students finished with excellent grades, in one case also with contribution to a publication in a peer-reviewed journal. She also previously mentored a PhD student and has supervised research assistants for several years.

Start date: September/ October 2026

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