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
Regulation of Plant Development by Small RNAs. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a new field of research that is giving, and will continue to give profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The pro ....Regulation of Plant Development by Small RNAs. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a new field of research that is giving, and will continue to give profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The project will yield insights into fundamental biological processes which are expected to engender applications in agriculture and biotechnology. It will maintain and enhance Australia's position in this area.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0230245
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,000.00
Summary
Joint controlled environment facility for research and development in plant biotechnolgy in Western Australia. The aim of this proposal is to establish a high quality, controlled-environment growth facility for plant research in Perth, jointly managed by Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia. This facility is needed urgently to support current research and new initiatives in plant molecular biology and biotechnology. It will focus on the molecular bases of plant growth and ....Joint controlled environment facility for research and development in plant biotechnolgy in Western Australia. The aim of this proposal is to establish a high quality, controlled-environment growth facility for plant research in Perth, jointly managed by Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia. This facility is needed urgently to support current research and new initiatives in plant molecular biology and biotechnology. It will focus on the molecular bases of plant growth and defence against pathogens. Outcomes include enhancement of WA plant research and its application to improved agricultural production that will benefit rural industries and promote exports. It will also facilitate postgraduate training in plant biotechnology and enhance career prospects of graduates.Read moreRead less
Australian native plant species as models for understanding the regulation and roles of betalain pigment synthesis. This project will have triple bottom line benefits. Economic: new cultivars developed from understanding betalains will sell worldwide, generating returns, incomes and employment in urban, peri-urban and rural Australia. Social: Novel Ptilotus and Calandrinia cultivars will adorn parks and gardens around Australia, thereby enhancing quality of life. Environmental: Ptilotus and Cala ....Australian native plant species as models for understanding the regulation and roles of betalain pigment synthesis. This project will have triple bottom line benefits. Economic: new cultivars developed from understanding betalains will sell worldwide, generating returns, incomes and employment in urban, peri-urban and rural Australia. Social: Novel Ptilotus and Calandrinia cultivars will adorn parks and gardens around Australia, thereby enhancing quality of life. Environmental: Ptilotus and Calandrinia are inherently drought resistant. Novel ornamental cultivars will have high water use efficiency and contribute to water conservation in urban Australia in the face of drought and global warming. Moreover, understanding their synthesis and roles could yield new strategies for enhancing stress tolerance in other species, including crop plants.Read moreRead less
Practical application of gene silencing: is delivery of long double stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) by plant cells efficient in conferring host resistance to parasitic nematodes? Nematode that attack plants cause $120 billion of crop losses worldwide. Chemicals used for their control are being phased out because of environmental concerns, and natural resistance is limited. The aim of this project is to use Australian IP to develop a new form of resistance to nematodes based on knowledge of th ....Practical application of gene silencing: is delivery of long double stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) by plant cells efficient in conferring host resistance to parasitic nematodes? Nematode that attack plants cause $120 billion of crop losses worldwide. Chemicals used for their control are being phased out because of environmental concerns, and natural resistance is limited. The aim of this project is to use Australian IP to develop a new form of resistance to nematodes based on knowledge of the host-pathogen interactions. A successful outcome could contribute an additional 5-20% increase in crop yields (depending on the crop) through inherent resistance of crops to nematode pests. This would benefit rural communities and the national economy, and could also generate international royalties.Read moreRead less
Understanding the control of male germ-line development by the germline-restrictive silencing factor in plants. The world population is currently increasing at an unprecedented rate, with a concomitant requirement to double the food production from the same amount of arable land. To ensure global political and social stability, equitably increasing sustainable food production without compromising environmental integrity remains a major challenge. This proposal investigates the molecular mechanis ....Understanding the control of male germ-line development by the germline-restrictive silencing factor in plants. The world population is currently increasing at an unprecedented rate, with a concomitant requirement to double the food production from the same amount of arable land. To ensure global political and social stability, equitably increasing sustainable food production without compromising environmental integrity remains a major challenge. This proposal investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying male germ line initiation and development in plants. Switching off male gamete development in some crop plants will create male sterile lines, which, when crossed with genetically distinct lines, will have the potential to produce hybrids that yield 20-30 percent more crop without additional inputs. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775763
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$189,000.00
Summary
High throughput orthogonal mass spectrometer for biotechnology research in WA. The new 'orthogonal' mass spectrometer will be housed at the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre at Murdoch University (SABC). The SABC is a multi-user university centre that provides equal access for researchers from all universities, state government and industry to major facilities. The equipment will provide a competitive advantage to researchers undertaking fundamental and applied projects that underpin ....High throughput orthogonal mass spectrometer for biotechnology research in WA. The new 'orthogonal' mass spectrometer will be housed at the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre at Murdoch University (SABC). The SABC is a multi-user university centre that provides equal access for researchers from all universities, state government and industry to major facilities. The equipment will provide a competitive advantage to researchers undertaking fundamental and applied projects that underpin new developments in plant and animal agriculture. Outcomes include: development of new molecular markers to speed crop improvement and quality, animal genetic improvement and health, and support for new biotechnology companies. This will benefit the community through more productive, competitive and sustainable agriculture.Read moreRead less
Elucidating the interactions between drought tolerance and photoprotection in plants. The 2002-03 drought cost Australia in the order of $10Billion and 70,000 jobs. Associated with reduced rainfall is increased sunlight irradiance, which exacerbates the reduction in crop yield due to the combined damage of a water deficit and oxidative damage caused by the excess light. Plants have networks of responses to minimise damage due to drought and excess light. We have identified a novel class of genes ....Elucidating the interactions between drought tolerance and photoprotection in plants. The 2002-03 drought cost Australia in the order of $10Billion and 70,000 jobs. Associated with reduced rainfall is increased sunlight irradiance, which exacerbates the reduction in crop yield due to the combined damage of a water deficit and oxidative damage caused by the excess light. Plants have networks of responses to minimise damage due to drought and excess light. We have identified a novel class of genes that optimise or alter different aspects of these networks and we wish to define the nature of that optimisation to determine how it could be transfered to crop plants.Read moreRead less
Molecular analysis of photosynthetically-linked, active CO2 uptake and CO2 signal transduction by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) have evolved a very efficient means of capturing and concentrating CO2 for photosynthetic fixation into sugars, the basic building blocks for cell growth. This process is dependent on the operation of several unique, active uptake systems for CO2 and HCO3-, with their genetic expression regulated by CO2 supply. This proposal will cap ....Molecular analysis of photosynthetically-linked, active CO2 uptake and CO2 signal transduction by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) have evolved a very efficient means of capturing and concentrating CO2 for photosynthetic fixation into sugars, the basic building blocks for cell growth. This process is dependent on the operation of several unique, active uptake systems for CO2 and HCO3-, with their genetic expression regulated by CO2 supply. This proposal will capitalize on our progress in describing the functional genetics of this process and aims to elucidate the mechanism of active CO2 uptake and the way that cells sense the ambient CO2 concentration. The information gained is likely to be useful for designing improved crops.Read moreRead less
Systemic control of nodule proliferation. We aim to clone and characterize the functions of the supernodulation (NTS-1) locus of soybean using positional cloning and functional genomics approaches. Supernodulation fascinatingly results from a mutant Nts-1 gene functioning in the shoot, although the phenotype is expressed as excessive nodule proliferation in the root. The cloned gene will be used to monitor expression changes after inoculation with Bradyrhizobium, treatment with nitrate, nod-fac ....Systemic control of nodule proliferation. We aim to clone and characterize the functions of the supernodulation (NTS-1) locus of soybean using positional cloning and functional genomics approaches. Supernodulation fascinatingly results from a mutant Nts-1 gene functioning in the shoot, although the phenotype is expressed as excessive nodule proliferation in the root. The cloned gene will be used to monitor expression changes after inoculation with Bradyrhizobium, treatment with nitrate, nod-factor, xylem exudates and phytohormones. We will use RT-PCR, in situ hybridisation and reporter gene expression in transgenic plants. Microarray analysis of soybean ESTs (4200 arrayed) will analyse concurrent gene expression changes in both root and shoot.Read moreRead less