The systems biology of stem cells. Using new bioinformatic methods, this project aims to identify new classifiers of different stem cell populations, develop statistical models that address population heterogeneity and provide molecular predictors of the differentiation potential of stem cells. Understanding, predicting and directing the processes of differentiation are major goals in the disciplines of stem cell biology, developmental biology, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Molec ....The systems biology of stem cells. Using new bioinformatic methods, this project aims to identify new classifiers of different stem cell populations, develop statistical models that address population heterogeneity and provide molecular predictors of the differentiation potential of stem cells. Understanding, predicting and directing the processes of differentiation are major goals in the disciplines of stem cell biology, developmental biology, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Molecular atlas projects have successfully revealed rules of genome output and regulation, by mining patterns that are evident across multiple cell types and datasets. By applying this philosophy to relevant, well-curated stem cell experiments, this project aims to create new methods for the integration and interrogation of smaller individual datasets. These methods should have broad utility and enable new avenues in tissue engineering.Read moreRead less
Decoding miRNA regulated genetic circuits. This project will aim to develop a much better understanding of how the process of making proteins from genes is regulated, and will develop scientific software capable of predicting how a cell will respond to changes in this regulation. The results will have widespread use, including assistance in deciding the best treatments for genetic diseases.
Untangling the plant Golgi apparatus: Functional proteomics to understand plant cell wall biosynthesis. The plant cell wall determines plant morphology and structure. It is also a major factor in food quality, and it is used as forage and is the raw material for a range of industries. A significant proportion of the cell wall is synthesised in a poorly studied cellular compartment known as the Golgi apparatus. This project intends to exploit unique isolation and analytical techniques in conjunct ....Untangling the plant Golgi apparatus: Functional proteomics to understand plant cell wall biosynthesis. The plant cell wall determines plant morphology and structure. It is also a major factor in food quality, and it is used as forage and is the raw material for a range of industries. A significant proportion of the cell wall is synthesised in a poorly studied cellular compartment known as the Golgi apparatus. This project intends to exploit unique isolation and analytical techniques in conjunction to further profile and characterise this structure in order to uncover new information about the complex interplay of components involved in plant cell wall biosynthesis. This information will be used to support approaches to manipulate cell walls to produce plant biomass optimised for agricultural and industrial applications.Read moreRead less
Exploring novel coding genomic features through integrative proteogenomics. Knowledge of the full extent to which the human genome is made into proteins is of fundamental importance in the study of health and disease. New technological advances are now enabling functional studies of genomes with increasing detail. This project aims to develop and apply cutting edge bioinformatics methods to perform an integrative and comprehensive exploration of the extent to which the genes of a human cell line ....Exploring novel coding genomic features through integrative proteogenomics. Knowledge of the full extent to which the human genome is made into proteins is of fundamental importance in the study of health and disease. New technological advances are now enabling functional studies of genomes with increasing detail. This project aims to develop and apply cutting edge bioinformatics methods to perform an integrative and comprehensive exploration of the extent to which the genes of a human cell line are made into proteins. The project will improve our understanding of the human genome and deliver cutting edge methodology applicable for genome annotation in all living organisms.Read moreRead less
Protein trafficking pathways in fungal rust pathogens of plants. This project aims to investigate protein trafficking pathways in fungal rusts of plants. These are devastating diseases that cause major losses in agricultural crops including wheat. Little is known of how these fungi form long and intimate relationships with plants to extract their nutrients. Using both model and agriculturally important fungi, the project will try to identify proteins that are transferred within the fungus and to ....Protein trafficking pathways in fungal rust pathogens of plants. This project aims to investigate protein trafficking pathways in fungal rusts of plants. These are devastating diseases that cause major losses in agricultural crops including wheat. Little is known of how these fungi form long and intimate relationships with plants to extract their nutrients. Using both model and agriculturally important fungi, the project will try to identify proteins that are transferred within the fungus and to the plant host to modify the infection. It will also identify fungal proteins needed to deliver trafficked proteins to plants. These discoveries ultimately may be translated into control strategies for these costly diseases.Read moreRead less
IDENTIFYING CONTROL ELEMENTS IN CHLOROPLAST GENE EXPRESSION. Energy from sunlight is captured by photosynthesis in plants, providing the basis for the terrestrial food chain. This process takes place in chloroplasts, subcellular structures that derived from photosynthetic bacteria a billion years ago. Chloroplasts have their own DNA, containing genes encoding the most important photosynthetic proteins. This project aims to provide the world’s best resources for the study of chloroplast genes. In ....IDENTIFYING CONTROL ELEMENTS IN CHLOROPLAST GENE EXPRESSION. Energy from sunlight is captured by photosynthesis in plants, providing the basis for the terrestrial food chain. This process takes place in chloroplasts, subcellular structures that derived from photosynthetic bacteria a billion years ago. Chloroplasts have their own DNA, containing genes encoding the most important photosynthetic proteins. This project aims to provide the world’s best resources for the study of chloroplast genes. In the process, we will discover how these important genes are regulated to provide photosynthetic proteins in the right amounts, in the right cells, at the right time. The knowledge and resources gained will facilitate improvement of photosynthetic function in future agricultural crops.Read moreRead less
Complexities of the mitochondrial transcriptome. This project aims to understand mitochondrial gene expression and energy production. Energy production is important for living things to grow and develop. In mammals, the mitochondria, the energy producing “powerhouses of the cell”, contain their own genetic assembly instructions. This project aims to understand these genetic instructions, revealing how genes control energy production. This project will characterise the genetic instructions, the m ....Complexities of the mitochondrial transcriptome. This project aims to understand mitochondrial gene expression and energy production. Energy production is important for living things to grow and develop. In mammals, the mitochondria, the energy producing “powerhouses of the cell”, contain their own genetic assembly instructions. This project aims to understand these genetic instructions, revealing how genes control energy production. This project will characterise the genetic instructions, the mitochondrial transcriptome and the proteins that control them. These advances are expected to provide a mechanistic understanding of how gene expression responds to changes in cellular energy demands. This knowledge will generate new biotechnological tools for Australian science and will have important long-term implications for improving agriculture and medicineRead moreRead less
Novel antimicrobial target discovery by an integrated approach. The project aims to uncover the molecular targets of BDM-I, a novel antimicrobial candidate discovered by the start-up Australian company BioDiem Ltd. BDM-I is active against many drug resistant bacterial and fungal microorganisms and it is currently in pre-clinical development. However, the lack of resistant phenotypes makes it difficult to identify BDM-I’s mechanism of action. The project plans to use an integrated approach that c ....Novel antimicrobial target discovery by an integrated approach. The project aims to uncover the molecular targets of BDM-I, a novel antimicrobial candidate discovered by the start-up Australian company BioDiem Ltd. BDM-I is active against many drug resistant bacterial and fungal microorganisms and it is currently in pre-clinical development. However, the lack of resistant phenotypes makes it difficult to identify BDM-I’s mechanism of action. The project plans to use an integrated approach that combines a novel technique of in silico screening with experimental validation. Project outcomes are anticipated to include the first computational method to integrate target and ligand similarity for proteome-scale target and off-target discovery, which will advance the global fight against drug-resistant microorganisms.Read moreRead less
How neurons maintain their fate. This project aims to investigate how neurons maintain their identity, without reverting back to less specialised cells. Stable fate maintenance is essential because when it fails, cells lose their ability to perform their ascribed function, which impedes organism fitness. This project aims to define how two proteins work in partnership to maintain the identity of brain neurons. We intend our discoveries to stimulate new research, for example to test whether the h ....How neurons maintain their fate. This project aims to investigate how neurons maintain their identity, without reverting back to less specialised cells. Stable fate maintenance is essential because when it fails, cells lose their ability to perform their ascribed function, which impedes organism fitness. This project aims to define how two proteins work in partnership to maintain the identity of brain neurons. We intend our discoveries to stimulate new research, for example to test whether the human counterparts of the Drosophila proteins studied here, function similarly. Benefits will be provided in the form of job creation, and new knowledge in fundamental aspects of life, including brain development and cell fate maintenance.Read moreRead less
A biological model to understand caveolin-1 and lipid raft function in health and disease. This project will generate a biological model for pathological caveolin-1 action on cell membrane domains called lipid rafts to determine how they trigger chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The tools developed in this project will help Australia find new drug targets for the treatment and prevention of these prevalent diseases.