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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Bacterial polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon transport and degradation. This project aims to investigate the molecular processes underpinning the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by bacteria. PAHs are persistent environmental contaminants linked to several human diseases, including cancer. Bacteria capable of degrading PAHs could be used to naturally and effectively reduce environmental PAH loads to below safe levels. The project will apply techniques in functional genomics an ....Bacterial polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon transport and degradation. This project aims to investigate the molecular processes underpinning the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by bacteria. PAHs are persistent environmental contaminants linked to several human diseases, including cancer. Bacteria capable of degrading PAHs could be used to naturally and effectively reduce environmental PAH loads to below safe levels. The project will apply techniques in functional genomics and biochemistry to help define the ways that PAHs are taken up from the environment by bacteria, their fate within bacterial cells, and the ways that bacteria overcome the inherent toxicity of PAHs. The knowledge generated is expected to enhance our capacity to rationally deploy bacteria for PAH degradation.Read moreRead less
A functional genomic approach for understanding metal ion adaptation in marine cyanobacteria. Unicellular marine cyanobacteria constitute 20-40% of total marine chlorophyll biomass and carbon fixation, and hence significantly impact the global carbon cycle and are very relevant to combating global warming. This research will reveal some of the major mechanisms by which marine cyanobacteria have adapted to metal levels in coastal and oligotrophic environments. Thus these results will help us und ....A functional genomic approach for understanding metal ion adaptation in marine cyanobacteria. Unicellular marine cyanobacteria constitute 20-40% of total marine chlorophyll biomass and carbon fixation, and hence significantly impact the global carbon cycle and are very relevant to combating global warming. This research will reveal some of the major mechanisms by which marine cyanobacteria have adapted to metal levels in coastal and oligotrophic environments. Thus these results will help us understand the distribution and diversity of these organisms in relation to global primary productivity. They will also lead to the development of more robust biomarkers for metal stress and pollution in coastal environments.Read moreRead less
Evolutionary and ecological complexity in an experimentally controlled environment. Understanding the capacity and mechanism of microbial evolution provides the framework for developing new strategies for preventing infectious disease. If we know how evolution works, it will be possible to hamper the capacity to evolve as a mechanism of preventing new diseases and controlling existing ones. This project will provide a mechanistic description of evolution in real time under controlled conditions. ....Evolutionary and ecological complexity in an experimentally controlled environment. Understanding the capacity and mechanism of microbial evolution provides the framework for developing new strategies for preventing infectious disease. If we know how evolution works, it will be possible to hamper the capacity to evolve as a mechanism of preventing new diseases and controlling existing ones. This project will provide a mechanistic description of evolution in real time under controlled conditions. This detailed information will be used in the education of the public and in debates about evolution. The project will also train at least five students in molecular and evolutionary microbiology, essential for facing future challenges.
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Bacterial Cell Division: Discovering how it begins and the network of protein interactions it requires. All cells must coordinate cell division with chromosome replication to ensure that the DNA is partitioned equally into newborn cells. We will establish the defect of a novel mutant blocked in the earliest stage of cell division in bacteria to obtain unique information about this vital regulatory step. We will use our newly discovered protein interaction network to establish what role protein i ....Bacterial Cell Division: Discovering how it begins and the network of protein interactions it requires. All cells must coordinate cell division with chromosome replication to ensure that the DNA is partitioned equally into newborn cells. We will establish the defect of a novel mutant blocked in the earliest stage of cell division in bacteria to obtain unique information about this vital regulatory step. We will use our newly discovered protein interaction network to establish what role protein interactions play in integrating cell division with other biological pathways in the cell to ensure its tight regulation. Our discoveries will facilitate the design of new antibiotics that target cell division to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria and bioterrorism organisms.Read moreRead less
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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101524
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$355,325.00
Summary
Taking Control: Understanding regulation of bacterial iron acquisition. This project aims to uncover the bacterial regulatory networks acting on a family of iron-stealing molecules called siderophores. Bacteria use siderophores to acquire iron from their hosts, the environment, and each other – as such, they have a central role in microbial life. Despite their importance, we have an incomplete knowledge of how these iron-stealing weapons are deployed. This project will develop a new genomics-bas ....Taking Control: Understanding regulation of bacterial iron acquisition. This project aims to uncover the bacterial regulatory networks acting on a family of iron-stealing molecules called siderophores. Bacteria use siderophores to acquire iron from their hosts, the environment, and each other – as such, they have a central role in microbial life. Despite their importance, we have an incomplete knowledge of how these iron-stealing weapons are deployed. This project will develop a new genomics-based, high-throughput technology for defining bacterial gene regulation networks, and use it to understand siderophore control. This will provide new knowledge of siderophore function, enhance understanding of bacterial community and host interactions, and establish leadership in a new genomics technology in Australia.Read moreRead less
The role of central carbon metabolism in cell cycle control in bacteria. Bacteria are simple organisms, yet we still do not understand how they coordinate their growth with their reproduction so faithfully, generation after generation, to produce viable newborn cells. The new discovery of a link between the food bacteria eat and the first stage of their cell division now provides the opportunity to elucidate how bacteria 'measure' their energy production to control their proliferation. This proj ....The role of central carbon metabolism in cell cycle control in bacteria. Bacteria are simple organisms, yet we still do not understand how they coordinate their growth with their reproduction so faithfully, generation after generation, to produce viable newborn cells. The new discovery of a link between the food bacteria eat and the first stage of their cell division now provides the opportunity to elucidate how bacteria 'measure' their energy production to control their proliferation. This project combines the latest technology with complementary expertise in bacterial cell division and metabolism. This should identify the mechanism that integrates these fundamental pathways in bacteria, crucial to both their survival and ability to cause infection.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
Breaking through the Gram-negative cell barrier. This project aims to develop fundamental knowledge of the cell envelope in Gram-negative bacteria, which functions as a permeability barrier to small molecules. Combining innovative functional genomics with biochemistry, this project will determine how small molecules can pass across the cell envelope, and the chemical properties that they need to do so. Some Gram-negative bacteria are human pathogens and cause serious infections, whereas others a ....Breaking through the Gram-negative cell barrier. This project aims to develop fundamental knowledge of the cell envelope in Gram-negative bacteria, which functions as a permeability barrier to small molecules. Combining innovative functional genomics with biochemistry, this project will determine how small molecules can pass across the cell envelope, and the chemical properties that they need to do so. Some Gram-negative bacteria are human pathogens and cause serious infections, whereas others are used in biotechnology for biosynthetic chemical production or bioremediation. This project expects to help the future development of new antibiotics and assist in the design of strains to be used in biotechnological applications.Read moreRead less