Sociogenomics of honeybees. From genes to society. This project will show how complex social behaviour of honeybees like dance communication and thermoregulation is genetically controlled. The complete sequence of the honeybee genome will be published in 2003, and a gene chip based on it will be created shortly afterwards. These new technologies will make our project technically feasible. By backcrossing, workers with different genetic tendencies to do a task can be generated within an otherwi ....Sociogenomics of honeybees. From genes to society. This project will show how complex social behaviour of honeybees like dance communication and thermoregulation is genetically controlled. The complete sequence of the honeybee genome will be published in 2003, and a gene chip based on it will be created shortly afterwards. These new technologies will make our project technically feasible. By backcrossing, workers with different genetic tendencies to do a task can be generated within an otherwise uniform background. Age-matched workers that perform a behaviour like thermoregulation can be compared to sisters that do not, and the genes that are switched on in the two groups compared.Read moreRead less
Epigenetic silencing in vertebrates: evolution and function from the bottom-up. The primary benefits are contribution to Australia's knowledge base and raising the profile of functional genomics in Australia, with the research priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries and priority goals in Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technologies. This project focuses on important biological questions surrounding gene regulation and sex chromosome evolution. Inte ....Epigenetic silencing in vertebrates: evolution and function from the bottom-up. The primary benefits are contribution to Australia's knowledge base and raising the profile of functional genomics in Australia, with the research priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries and priority goals in Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technologies. This project focuses on important biological questions surrounding gene regulation and sex chromosome evolution. International attention has already resulted in genome characterization of Australian icons (wallaby, Tasmanian devil and platypus), more research on these, and other Australian animals, will further highlight the importance of Australian fauna and impact positively on our scientific profile.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775587
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$532,000.00
Summary
Correlating Genomics and Proteomics for Systems Biology: integrating the '-omics'. Acquisition of the infrastructure requested will maintain and extend the expertise developed by researchers in NSW and will allow retention and attraction of leading researchers who can contribute to understanding how genes and proteins interact in the development of the organism - the central focus of systems biology. The enhancement of the facility will allow a better understanding of biomolecular interactions ....Correlating Genomics and Proteomics for Systems Biology: integrating the '-omics'. Acquisition of the infrastructure requested will maintain and extend the expertise developed by researchers in NSW and will allow retention and attraction of leading researchers who can contribute to understanding how genes and proteins interact in the development of the organism - the central focus of systems biology. The enhancement of the facility will allow a better understanding of biomolecular interactions in health and disease, providing both community and national benefits. The focus of this LIEF application is to provide infrastructure platforms for the study of the systems biology of organisms and additional capacity by the facility for the expected increased demand for this technology in this new area. Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354908
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
The Insect-Plant Chemical Ecology Network (IPCEN). We bring together plant molecular biology, entomology and analytical chemistry to transform three leading fields of Australian research into an advanced science with far reaching capabilities in innovative research and applied outcomes. Expertise studying the biochemical pathways that produce specific plant compounds and expertise in insect recognition and response to these chemicals will be brought together. This will lead to new research outco ....The Insect-Plant Chemical Ecology Network (IPCEN). We bring together plant molecular biology, entomology and analytical chemistry to transform three leading fields of Australian research into an advanced science with far reaching capabilities in innovative research and applied outcomes. Expertise studying the biochemical pathways that produce specific plant compounds and expertise in insect recognition and response to these chemicals will be brought together. This will lead to new research outcomes and solutions to problems in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and protection of Australia's native flora. Researchers are struggling to create these links, constrained by disciplinary boundaries and geographical isolation. Key industries and researchers already support this proposal.Read moreRead less
Epigenetic integration of genomic and environmental information in honey bees. Environmental factors such as nutrition, drugs or childhood neglect alter gene activity without a change to the DNA code and may result in a range of conditions such as cancer, obesity and mental illness. Such epigenetic phenomena are driven by subtle and poorly understood modifications of the genome known as DNA methylation. Our aim is to study the link between DNA methylation and environmental influences. We aspire ....Epigenetic integration of genomic and environmental information in honey bees. Environmental factors such as nutrition, drugs or childhood neglect alter gene activity without a change to the DNA code and may result in a range of conditions such as cancer, obesity and mental illness. Such epigenetic phenomena are driven by subtle and poorly understood modifications of the genome known as DNA methylation. Our aim is to study the link between DNA methylation and environmental influences. We aspire to understand how environmental signals trigger the reprogramming of transcriptional control of genetic networks that lead to contrasting phenotypic and behavioural outcomes using the honey bee modelRead moreRead less
Origin and evolution of genes on the human X chromosome. Two groups of functionally related genes are found on the human X chromosome in disproportionately high numbers. I will test whether an uneven distribution of genes is common in mammalian genomes, or whether the human X is special. I will test hypotheses of how the gene groups arose on the human X by comparing their location and expression patterns in other mammals, and other vertebrates. It will then be clear whether the ancestral autosom ....Origin and evolution of genes on the human X chromosome. Two groups of functionally related genes are found on the human X chromosome in disproportionately high numbers. I will test whether an uneven distribution of genes is common in mammalian genomes, or whether the human X is special. I will test hypotheses of how the gene groups arose on the human X by comparing their location and expression patterns in other mammals, and other vertebrates. It will then be clear whether the ancestral autosome was ?chosen?, whether it ?selfishly? accumulated these genes, or whether the function of genes changed in response to selective pressures.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre in Bioinformatics. The Australian Centre for Genome-Phenome Bioinformatics will examine how the genome comes to life in the mammalian cell during differentiation and development. We will model, visualise and experimentally validate the complex cellular systems and regulatory networks that control the transformation of genomic information into biological structure and function. We will develop novel approaches and tools to improve health, optimise agricultural production and exploit ne ....ARC Centre in Bioinformatics. The Australian Centre for Genome-Phenome Bioinformatics will examine how the genome comes to life in the mammalian cell during differentiation and development. We will model, visualise and experimentally validate the complex cellular systems and regulatory networks that control the transformation of genomic information into biological structure and function. We will develop novel approaches and tools to improve health, optimise agricultural production and exploit new cell technologies. The Centre will build critical mass and national focus in bioinformatics to generate the human capital and intellectual property that Australia needs to compete in advanced bioscience and biotechnology.Read moreRead less
A new paradigm of gene regulation - implications in embryogenesis and disease. The proposed analysis of a new paradigm of gene regulation will provide a new key to understanding genome function and inform some of the most compelling biological issues of our time such as stem cell biology, tissue and organ regeneration and genetic programming. The insights and technologies developed in this program will be widely applicable in biotechnological and pharmacogenomic research in Australia and worldwi ....A new paradigm of gene regulation - implications in embryogenesis and disease. The proposed analysis of a new paradigm of gene regulation will provide a new key to understanding genome function and inform some of the most compelling biological issues of our time such as stem cell biology, tissue and organ regeneration and genetic programming. The insights and technologies developed in this program will be widely applicable in biotechnological and pharmacogenomic research in Australia and worldwide, and assert Australia's leadership in this area of research.Read moreRead less
Simultaneous analysis of root-derived plant defences and the associated microbiome. Australia is dependent on sustainable agricultural yields, which need to be maintained or improved. This production capacity is currently under threat by new and existing diseases which are predicted to worsen with climate change. This project will provide a global picture of how disease resistance and soil microbial communities are causally linked, and provide new strategies for disease control. In doing so, it ....Simultaneous analysis of root-derived plant defences and the associated microbiome. Australia is dependent on sustainable agricultural yields, which need to be maintained or improved. This production capacity is currently under threat by new and existing diseases which are predicted to worsen with climate change. This project will provide a global picture of how disease resistance and soil microbial communities are causally linked, and provide new strategies for disease control. In doing so, it will develop intellectual property (IP) and infrastructure that can be used in soil health management. This will provide many benefits to Australia, including sustainable agriculture in the context of climate variability and an increased demand for food, biomaterials and biofuels.Read moreRead less
Evolution of nervous system patterning processes: characterisation of homologs of key Drosophila regulatory genes from the coral Acropora. Defining the common mechanisms of nervous system development is one of the major goals of modern biology, but is presently being addressed largely by comparisons between a few very advanced (and therefore specialised) animals. Comparative data from a lower animal is urgently needed, and will clarify many aspects of nervous system evolution and development. Th ....Evolution of nervous system patterning processes: characterisation of homologs of key Drosophila regulatory genes from the coral Acropora. Defining the common mechanisms of nervous system development is one of the major goals of modern biology, but is presently being addressed largely by comparisons between a few very advanced (and therefore specialised) animals. Comparative data from a lower animal is urgently needed, and will clarify many aspects of nervous system evolution and development. The pioneering work carried out on Acropora in this laboratory suggests that it is perhaps the best choice currently available for this purpose. This project will use Acropora to address fundamental questions about the evolution of nervous system developmental processes.Read moreRead less