New Proteins from the Mobile Genome: Structure-Led Discovery. The project will provide full descriptions of proteins with the capacity to become mobilised, as well as providing a source of completely novel genes with commercial potential. The proteins and enzymes discovered, and the metabolic processes with which they are identified, will have applications in a wide range of Australian industries: agriculture, forestry, pollution control and pharmaceutical design. This work therefore offers op ....New Proteins from the Mobile Genome: Structure-Led Discovery. The project will provide full descriptions of proteins with the capacity to become mobilised, as well as providing a source of completely novel genes with commercial potential. The proteins and enzymes discovered, and the metabolic processes with which they are identified, will have applications in a wide range of Australian industries: agriculture, forestry, pollution control and pharmaceutical design. This work therefore offers opportunities for many future directions in biotechnology, an area of growing strength in Australia. Read moreRead less
Characterisation of a powerful molecular motor, the FtsK DNA translocase. The FtsK protein is a fast and powerful molecular motor, a pump that can, and does, move an entire bacterial chromosome. This project will uncover the detail of the mechanism used by this motor to convert the cell's chemical energy source Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) into movement of DNA; revealing the molecular detail of a fast and powerful motor.
Novel ultraviolet radiation filters from extreme environments. This project aims to exploit uncultured microorganisms to produce and characterise novel ultraviolet radiation-filter biosynthesis pathways. Current ultraviolet radiation-filtering compounds are toxic and persistent. There is a need for biodegradable, ultraviolet radiation filters that are safe for use across a variety of health and industrial applications. Over millions of years, the damaging effect of ultraviolet radiation has exer ....Novel ultraviolet radiation filters from extreme environments. This project aims to exploit uncultured microorganisms to produce and characterise novel ultraviolet radiation-filter biosynthesis pathways. Current ultraviolet radiation-filtering compounds are toxic and persistent. There is a need for biodegradable, ultraviolet radiation filters that are safe for use across a variety of health and industrial applications. Over millions of years, the damaging effect of ultraviolet radiation has exerted selective pressure on organisms that has driven the evolutionary diversity of natural radiation-filtering compounds. This project expects to characterise and harness the microbial diversity of unique high ultraviolet radiation ecosystems via synthetic biology to produce industrially and pharmacologically useful ultraviolet radiation filters.Read moreRead less