Exploring DNA methylation and expression changes in early stages of polyploidy in two environmental conditions

The goal of this Umbrella project is to look at DNA methylation and expression changes in early stages of a synthesized polyploid in two different environmental conditions. As a study system we used Arabidopsis kamchatica, an allotetraploid resulting from the crossing between A. halleri and A. lyrata. In our experimental design, plants were grown in the lab in two conditions: cold (lower maximum temperature and longer winter) and hot (higher maximum temperature and shorter winter). Diploid progenitors, synthetic polyploids and natural lines were all propagated for several generations. Our analyses focused on the 4th generation for all species with the exception of one natural line for which we focused on the 5th generation. For each diploid and polyploid, three biological replicates were sequenced at the whole genome level to obtain epigenetic and transcriptomic information.