Genomic signatures of adaptive diversification in woodland Eucalyptus. This project aims to map the sources of adaptive alleles underlying diversification is to reveal insights into the mechanisms of speciation. The source of the raw material for evolution can have significant impacts on the speed with which populations can adapt. An emerging pattern in speciation research is the importance of ancient alleles and introgressed genes, which differ in the genomic signatures left by selection. Eucal ....Genomic signatures of adaptive diversification in woodland Eucalyptus. This project aims to map the sources of adaptive alleles underlying diversification is to reveal insights into the mechanisms of speciation. The source of the raw material for evolution can have significant impacts on the speed with which populations can adapt. An emerging pattern in speciation research is the importance of ancient alleles and introgressed genes, which differ in the genomic signatures left by selection. Eucalyptus offers a unique opportunity to explore these modes of evolution using the latest genomic tools. Improving our understanding of adaptation and genetic variation in woodland eucalypts is expected to make a significant contribution to their conservation, management and restoration.Read moreRead less
The origins of Australia's non-Pama-Nyungan speaking people. This project aims to test the likelihood of multiple migrations into Australia before European arrival and determine if the phylogenetic relationships among non-Pama-Nyungan languages is mirrored by their speakers’ genomic phylogenetic relationships. The non-Pama-Nyungan First People of Australia speak an extraordinary number and diversity of Aboriginal languages, but the origins of these languages and the genomic diversity of the peop ....The origins of Australia's non-Pama-Nyungan speaking people. This project aims to test the likelihood of multiple migrations into Australia before European arrival and determine if the phylogenetic relationships among non-Pama-Nyungan languages is mirrored by their speakers’ genomic phylogenetic relationships. The non-Pama-Nyungan First People of Australia speak an extraordinary number and diversity of Aboriginal languages, but the origins of these languages and the genomic diversity of the people who speak them are only now starting to be understood. There is a remarkable concordance between the Pama-Nyungan languages and the genomic diversity of their speakers. This research could show whether genomes change languages or vice versa, or whether they evolve together over time.Read moreRead less
The genetics of four ancient 'Kings' of Sahul and Sunda. This project aims to recover all the genetic information from four ancient humans. Two of these iconic specimens come from Australia and two from Malaysia. We will sequence the entire DNA (genomes) and proteins (proteome) of Mungo Man (Willandra), the Yidinji King (Cairns), the Deep Skull (Borneo) and the Bewah specimen (Malaysian Peninsula). This will provide a better understanding of the settlement of Australia and new knowledge about th ....The genetics of four ancient 'Kings' of Sahul and Sunda. This project aims to recover all the genetic information from four ancient humans. Two of these iconic specimens come from Australia and two from Malaysia. We will sequence the entire DNA (genomes) and proteins (proteome) of Mungo Man (Willandra), the Yidinji King (Cairns), the Deep Skull (Borneo) and the Bewah specimen (Malaysian Peninsula). This will provide a better understanding of the settlement of Australia and new knowledge about the ancient people of Australasia and their relationship to other human populations worldwide. The research will use cutting-edge methods of DNA and protein sequencing of ancient human material and will provide critical reference genomes / proteomes that will anchor future research.Read moreRead less
The evolutionary origin, cellular response and genetic impact of insecticide resistance mutations in agricultural pests. Diamondback moth is a global pest of canola and Brassica vegetables, and populations can rapidly evolve resistance to insecticides. The project will use a combination of genome sequencing, fieldwork and gene expression analysis to identify mutations causing resistance to Bt insecticidal toxins and assess the threat of resistance evolving in Australia.
Identification of Biological pathways regulated by circular RNAs. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a, recently discovered molecule. circRNAs are highly abundant and expressed in a tissue and disease specific manner. Yet, currently the understanding of how circRNAs regulate biological processes is very poor. This project aims to use pooled shRNA libraries to screen a large panel of cell lines and systematically identify cellular activities that are regulated by circRNAs. The expected outcome of this ....Identification of Biological pathways regulated by circular RNAs. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a, recently discovered molecule. circRNAs are highly abundant and expressed in a tissue and disease specific manner. Yet, currently the understanding of how circRNAs regulate biological processes is very poor. This project aims to use pooled shRNA libraries to screen a large panel of cell lines and systematically identify cellular activities that are regulated by circRNAs. The expected outcome of this study will be a catalogue of functionally active circRNAs. Over the past decades, the wealth of knowledge on the function of linear mRNAs has had a significant impact on medicine and agriculture. Similarly understanding how circRNAs regulate cellular activities may have an analogous impact on humans.Read moreRead less
Understanding disease resistance gene evolution across the Brassicaceae. Pan genomes represent the diversity of a species, including structural and sequence variation, which cannot be provided by a reference genome alone. In this project we will characterise resistance gene diversity across the Brassicaceae pan genomes. Through comparison with resistance gene diversity in cultivated Brassica species we will understand selection underlying resistance gene evolution in wild species and subsequent ....Understanding disease resistance gene evolution across the Brassicaceae. Pan genomes represent the diversity of a species, including structural and sequence variation, which cannot be provided by a reference genome alone. In this project we will characterise resistance gene diversity across the Brassicaceae pan genomes. Through comparison with resistance gene diversity in cultivated Brassica species we will understand selection underlying resistance gene evolution in wild species and subsequent domestication and breeding. Knowledge on how variation affects disease susceptibility, especially to the devastating fungal pathogen blackleg, and contributes to phenotypic variation, will lead to improved plant protection strategies and increased crop resilience.Read moreRead less
Genome-wide discovery of translation control mechanisms. This project aims to reveal currently unknown molecular details of protein synthesis, a step of gene expression that is central to all of life. To achieve this, innovative methods based on next-generation sequencing will be deployed in the yeast model organism. Yeasts are of importance as pathogens as well as in the food and biotechnology industry sector. Thus, new knowledge generated in this project will help solve problems of invasive pa ....Genome-wide discovery of translation control mechanisms. This project aims to reveal currently unknown molecular details of protein synthesis, a step of gene expression that is central to all of life. To achieve this, innovative methods based on next-generation sequencing will be deployed in the yeast model organism. Yeasts are of importance as pathogens as well as in the food and biotechnology industry sector. Thus, new knowledge generated in this project will help solve problems of invasive pathogenic behaviour and biomass production.Read moreRead less
Haplodiploidy: the great evolutionary innovation of the Hymenoptera. This project aims to identify a key gene that causes thelytokous parthenogenesis. Thelytoky is the ability of a female to clone herself (virgin birth), and is wide spread in the Hymenoptera which include bees, wasps and ants. Hymenopteran thelytoky is important because it facilitates some major transitions in life history, particularly social parasitism. The capacity for virgin birth is central to the invasiveness of many ant s ....Haplodiploidy: the great evolutionary innovation of the Hymenoptera. This project aims to identify a key gene that causes thelytokous parthenogenesis. Thelytoky is the ability of a female to clone herself (virgin birth), and is wide spread in the Hymenoptera which include bees, wasps and ants. Hymenopteran thelytoky is important because it facilitates some major transitions in life history, particularly social parasitism. The capacity for virgin birth is central to the invasiveness of many ant species, and enables social cancers (parasitic workers that kill colonies) in bees. The benefit of this project is that the identification of the gene should help identify potentially invasive ant species and help prevent the social cancers that affect commercial beekeeping in South Africa from spreading world-wide.Read moreRead less
Charting the human epi-transcriptome. This project aims to use Oxford nanopore technologies and phage display technologies, to obtain quantitative, single-nucleotide resolution maps for any RNA modification of choice. This will allow systematic mapping of RNA modifications for which we currently lack transcriptome-wide maps, as well as investigate the roles, regulation and impact of RNA modifications in proper cellular functioning and cell differentiation. The project will provide significant be ....Charting the human epi-transcriptome. This project aims to use Oxford nanopore technologies and phage display technologies, to obtain quantitative, single-nucleotide resolution maps for any RNA modification of choice. This will allow systematic mapping of RNA modifications for which we currently lack transcriptome-wide maps, as well as investigate the roles, regulation and impact of RNA modifications in proper cellular functioning and cell differentiation. The project will provide significant benefits, such as to the economy by offering a cost-effective alternative to sequencing methods currently used to map DNA and RNA modifications.Read moreRead less
System-level characterisation of the siphonophore, Indo-Pacific man o' war. The Indo-Pacific man o' war (bluebottle), is a cnidarian from the siphonophore order. These animals frequent Australian beaches in swarms and cause thousands of stings every year. The project proposes to profile the genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and proteome of the bluebottle to gain insight into its life cycle, its behaviour, and toxins. Expected outcomes include the generation of novel information related to bluebo ....System-level characterisation of the siphonophore, Indo-Pacific man o' war. The Indo-Pacific man o' war (bluebottle), is a cnidarian from the siphonophore order. These animals frequent Australian beaches in swarms and cause thousands of stings every year. The project proposes to profile the genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and proteome of the bluebottle to gain insight into its life cycle, its behaviour, and toxins. Expected outcomes include the generation of novel information related to bluebottle gene regulation and its toxin repertoire, which will be highly beneficial for the design of future sting treatment strategies. Given that the bluebottle is a colony made of functionally specialised polyps, this study will also provide significant novel insight into the origins and evolution of animal multicellularity.Read moreRead less