Bacterial Proteomics: From Cell Division to Novel Antibiotic Targets. When a cell divides it is essential that each newborn cell gets a complete copy of the DNA. To ensure that this happens, cell division must be tightly controlled. It is not known how this occurs in bacteria. However, if we knew what molecules were involved in this control, we could target them to kill harmful bacteria. This project aims to identify such regulatory molecules as candidate targets for antimicrobial agents, with a ....Bacterial Proteomics: From Cell Division to Novel Antibiotic Targets. When a cell divides it is essential that each newborn cell gets a complete copy of the DNA. To ensure that this happens, cell division must be tightly controlled. It is not known how this occurs in bacteria. However, if we knew what molecules were involved in this control, we could target them to kill harmful bacteria. This project aims to identify such regulatory molecules as candidate targets for antimicrobial agents, with a view to developing powerful, novel antibiotics to protect us from the imminent threat of bioterrorism and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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Novel Molecular Markers for the Historical Source Tracing of Faecal Contamination in Urban Water Catchments. Protection of the microbiological quality of raw water systems is imperative to maintaining the safety of drinking water. Monitoring of water samples for the presence of microbes that indicate the presence of faecal pollution can be used to assess the possible threats to human health. The objective of this research is to apply molecular genetic methods to determine their effectiveness as ....Novel Molecular Markers for the Historical Source Tracing of Faecal Contamination in Urban Water Catchments. Protection of the microbiological quality of raw water systems is imperative to maintaining the safety of drinking water. Monitoring of water samples for the presence of microbes that indicate the presence of faecal pollution can be used to assess the possible threats to human health. The objective of this research is to apply molecular genetic methods to determine their effectiveness as tools for the tracking and tracing of faecal bacteria within drinking water catchments. We have chosen the spore-former Clostridium perfringens as an indicator of both long and short-term sewage contamination. It will enable us to predict the origin of contamination and thus identify potential sources of faecal pollution that require remediation.Read moreRead less
The role of redox balance and reactive oxygen species in beer stability using an integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. A better understanding of yeast redox balance will enable it to be used to predict fermentation outcomes and to link raw materials and processes to the quality of the final product. These data will produce economies in the brewing industry by the introduction of quality control regimes for raw materials and can be extrapolated to the wine industry. This will prov ....The role of redox balance and reactive oxygen species in beer stability using an integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. A better understanding of yeast redox balance will enable it to be used to predict fermentation outcomes and to link raw materials and processes to the quality of the final product. These data will produce economies in the brewing industry by the introduction of quality control regimes for raw materials and can be extrapolated to the wine industry. This will provide real economic advantage to Carlton and United Breweries which is an Australian company that has an international profile within a highly competitive industry.Read moreRead less
Elucidating the genetic basis of newly evolved metabolic functions in yeast. Elucidating the genetic basis of newly evolved metabolic functions in yeast. This project intends to research how complex metabolic pathways originate and evolve. This project will use cutting edge genome sequencing and molecular techniques to elucidate the heritable genetic basis of Baker’s yeast, which has been the selectively evolved to use xylose as a sole carbon source: something vital for second generation biofuel ....Elucidating the genetic basis of newly evolved metabolic functions in yeast. Elucidating the genetic basis of newly evolved metabolic functions in yeast. This project intends to research how complex metabolic pathways originate and evolve. This project will use cutting edge genome sequencing and molecular techniques to elucidate the heritable genetic basis of Baker’s yeast, which has been the selectively evolved to use xylose as a sole carbon source: something vital for second generation biofuel production that wild yeast cannot do. This project will combine detailed molecular characterisation of highly adapted yeast strains with a novel "molecular palaeontology" approach to trace the evolutionary process and identify functionally significant loci under selection. Detailed characterisation of this trait will accelerate the development of future yeast strains and test fundamental evolutionary theories.Read moreRead less
Integrons in Xanthomonas pathovars: Do they have a role in plant pathogenicity? Bacteria in the genus Xanthomonas cause serious diseases of plants, identification being based on the plant species from which they were originally recovered. Xanthomonads contain integrons, genetic elements capable of acquiring and expressing diverse genes. In other bacterial groups, the gene content of integrons varies significantly between strains of the same species, and in many cases these genes code for cell su ....Integrons in Xanthomonas pathovars: Do they have a role in plant pathogenicity? Bacteria in the genus Xanthomonas cause serious diseases of plants, identification being based on the plant species from which they were originally recovered. Xanthomonads contain integrons, genetic elements capable of acquiring and expressing diverse genes. In other bacterial groups, the gene content of integrons varies significantly between strains of the same species, and in many cases these genes code for cell surface proteins. These characteristics are precisely those we might expect to be responsible for interactions between plants and bacteria. This project aims to examine a large collection of xanthomonads for integrons, and determine whether particular integron gene contents are associated with host-pathogen specificity.
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Investigating the Ability of Honey to Inhibit Bacterial Biofilms Found in Chronic Wounds. Chronic (non-healing) wounds are a serious health problem in Australia. One quarter of our institutionalized aged population have pressure ulcers. The difficulty in treating these wounds is that most contain communities of bacteria, called biofilms, that are not killed by conventional antibiotics. Special honeys from Australia and NZ that are effective in chronic wound treatment can eradicate these biofilms ....Investigating the Ability of Honey to Inhibit Bacterial Biofilms Found in Chronic Wounds. Chronic (non-healing) wounds are a serious health problem in Australia. One quarter of our institutionalized aged population have pressure ulcers. The difficulty in treating these wounds is that most contain communities of bacteria, called biofilms, that are not killed by conventional antibiotics. Special honeys from Australia and NZ that are effective in chronic wound treatment can eradicate these biofilms. This project will identify the components in honey that do this and determine how they do it, to provide a more effective chronic wound treatment. It will decrease the prevalence of these wounds in Australia and the associated personal trauma and health costs.Read moreRead less
Regulation of saxitoxin production in bacteria and algae. In Australia, toxic algal blooms have had a devastating impact on marine and freshwater resources. In collaboration with a biotechnology company, this project will develop exciting new methods based on information regarding the genetics of the toxin, to monitor and potentially mitigate the effects of algal blooms on water supplies and aquaculture industries. We will use this method to determine the impact of light and salinity in regulati ....Regulation of saxitoxin production in bacteria and algae. In Australia, toxic algal blooms have had a devastating impact on marine and freshwater resources. In collaboration with a biotechnology company, this project will develop exciting new methods based on information regarding the genetics of the toxin, to monitor and potentially mitigate the effects of algal blooms on water supplies and aquaculture industries. We will use this method to determine the impact of light and salinity in regulating toxin production in cyanobacteria and algae.Read moreRead less
Managing acid mine drainage in northern Australia using microbial mats. One of the most difficult environmental issues for the mining industry is acid mine drainage (AMD) that can lead to significant environmental damage. This project aims to identify microbes and characterise their roles in AMD formation in north Australia. We will use our new knowledge to design and trial microbial mats for the treatment of AMD. A successful AMD microbial treatment technology will minimise the risk of acid run ....Managing acid mine drainage in northern Australia using microbial mats. One of the most difficult environmental issues for the mining industry is acid mine drainage (AMD) that can lead to significant environmental damage. This project aims to identify microbes and characterise their roles in AMD formation in north Australia. We will use our new knowledge to design and trial microbial mats for the treatment of AMD. A successful AMD microbial treatment technology will minimise the risk of acid runoff and metal seepage into rivers and through groundwater. AMD treatment technology we develop in the tropics where we experience the extremes of dry and wet seasons will require only minor modification to operate in temperate climates however the reverse is not true. Read moreRead less
Environmental genomics and novel bioactives from microbial communities on living marine surfaces. This project has three linked benefits to Australia. One, it is the first study to use environmental genomics analysis in an Australian marine ecosystem, thus bringing into the Australian scientific community the cutting edge technology for studying diverse microbial communities. Two, by using this technology we will be able to investigate Australian marine biodiversity to an unprecedented extent. ....Environmental genomics and novel bioactives from microbial communities on living marine surfaces. This project has three linked benefits to Australia. One, it is the first study to use environmental genomics analysis in an Australian marine ecosystem, thus bringing into the Australian scientific community the cutting edge technology for studying diverse microbial communities. Two, by using this technology we will be able to investigate Australian marine biodiversity to an unprecedented extent. Three, this newly revealed diversity will then be mined for novel bioactives for use in pharmaceutical and other human health applications. Read moreRead less
Discovery of bioactive natural substances from uncultured bacteria and their production using photosynthetic reactor technology. The range and rate of natural product discovery is the limiting factor in developing new therapies for cancer and infectious disease. This research will enable the discovery of new drugs, coupled to their production in a photosynthetic expression system. This represents a truly “green” and sustainable technology for the pharmaceutical industry.