RCN: Establishment of an Epigenomics of Plants International Consortium (EPIC)

PI: Doris Wagner（宾夕法尼亚大学）CoPIs: Craig S. Pikaard（印第安纳大学）和Robert Martienssen（冷泉港实验室）一个不断扩大的研究群体正在利用植物的许多优点进行表观遗传学和表观基因组学研究。该研究合作网络（RCN）的总体目标是组织美国和国际植物表观基因组学研究团体，以便优先考虑目标和研究需求，旨在有效地破译基因组水平上的染色质和表观遗传调控如何控制植物的形态和功能。RCN的目标包括确定目前限制该领域进展的智力、技术和生物信息学需求，促进数据共享，并制定数据收集、数据沉积和数据传播的社区标准。这些目标的实现将由表观基因组学专家组成的指导委员会催化，该委员会将组织关于特定主题的讨论会，并设计在线调查，以征求植物表观基因组学社区自我注册成员的意见和建议。RCN的工作将包括组建植物表观组学国际联盟（EPIC）和起草一份文件，概述未来资助优先事项的建议。更广泛的影响：EPIC RCN计划将包括开发和维护EPIC网站，该网站将作为社区输入和信息共享的“一站式门户”，可通过http://www.bio.upenn.edu/faculty/wagner/#research访问。本网站还将包含有关RCN活动的信息，以及有关表观遗传学和表观基因组学作为研究领域的教育信息。此外，EPIC计划将致力于建立一个中央表观基因组学数据存储库和一个用户友好的浏览器工具，以便统一显示不同类型的表观基因组学数据。最后，RCN计划将积极寻求方法，提高年轻科学家、未被充分代表的少数民族以及大型大学和小型学院学生对植物表观基因组研究的参与。

PI: Doris Wagner (University of Pennsylvania)CoPIs: Craig S. Pikaard (Indiana University) and Robert Martienssen (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)An ever-expanding community of researchers is exploiting the many advantages of plants for epigenetics and epigenomics research. The overall goal of this Research Collaborative Network (RCN) is to organize the US and international plant epigenomics research communities in order to prioritize goals and research needs aimed at efficiently deciphering how chromatin and epigenetic regulation at the genome level controls plant form and function. Aims of the RCN include identifying the intellectual, technological and bioinformatics needs that currently limit progress of the field, promoting data sharing, and developing community standards for data collection, data deposition and data dissemination. Achievement of these aims will be catalyzed by a steering committee of epigenomics experts who will organize discussion workshops on specific topics and design online surveys that will solicit input and suggestions from self-registered members of the plant epigenomics community. The efforts of the RCN will include formation of an Epigneomics of Plants International Consortium (EPIC) and the drafting of a document outlining recommendations for future funding priorities.Broader Impacts:The EPIC RCN initiative will include development and maintenance of an EPIC website that will serve as a "one-stop portal" for community input and information sharing, which will be accessible via http://www.bio.upenn.edu/faculty/wagner/#research. This website will also contain information about the activities of the RCN and educational information about epigenetics and epigenomics as areas of investigation. In addition, the EPIC initiative will work towards the establishment of a central epigenomics data repository and a user-friendly browser tool that will allow unified display of different types of epigenomics data. Finally, the RCN initiative will actively seek to identify ways to improve participation of young scientists, underrepresented minorities, and students at both large universities and small colleges in plant epigenomic research.