On this page, you can read abstracts of the keynote lectures of Professor Klaas Vandepoele and Diana Horvath.
Keynote lecture Thursday 17 October, 10:00 – 10:45
A map of integrated cis-regulatory elements
enhances gene regulatory analysis in maize
By Klaas Vandepoele, Full Professor at Ghent University and group leader in the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology
Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) are non-coding DNA sequences that modulate the expression of genes. Their identification is critical to study the transcriptional regulation of genes controlling key traits that govern plant growth and development. They are also crucial components for the delineation of gene regulatory networks, which are sets of regulatory interactions between transcription factors (TFs) and target genes. In maize, CREs have been profiled using different computational and experimental methods, but the extent to which these methods complement each other in identifying functional CREs remains unclear. Here, we report the data-driven integration of different maize CRE profiling methods to optimize the capture of experimentally confirmed TF binding sites, resulting in maps of integrated CREs (iCREs) showing increased levels of completeness and precision. We combined the iCREs with gene expression data under drought conditions to perform motif enrichment and infer drought-specific GRNs. Mining these GRNs revealed previously characterized and novel candidate regulators of maize drought response. By studying the transposable elements (TEs) overlapping with iCREs, we identified few TE superfamilies, displaying typical epigenetic features of regulatory DNA, that are involved in wiring specific TF – target gene regulatory interactions. Overall, our study showcases the integration of different omics data sources to generate a high-quality collection of CREs, together with their applicability to better characterize gene regulation in the complex maize genome.
Keynote lecture Friday 18 October, 11:15 – 12:00
A non-profit dual-market model for advancing plant science to combat crop threats
By Diana Horvath, President at 2Blades
In a single generation, we must grow more food and reduce our climate burden by using less land, water, and chemicals. Yet, despite the significant and urgent challenges to crop production, advances in plant science are not reaching farmers at the scale needed to bolster food security and contribute to a healthier and more sustainable planet. 2Blades was established in 2004 to bridge this gap with a unique, non-profit business model. By creating synergies between public-private interests and resources, we accelerate agricultural innovation from the lab to the field. We strive to meet the major threats posed by crop pathogens and pests and deliver resilient varieties for large-scale and smallholder growers. We combine our deep roots in plant pathology with leading expertise in business development to drive new solutions to market through key delivery partners, ensuring access for growers in food-deficit countries. Our development programs have focused on the most intractable diseases of important crops, producing validated disease resistance options for wheat, soybean, potato, and tomato in the lab, the greenhouse, and the field, as well as new tools for gene discovery and gene editing.