Extracting energy from air: mechanism of a bacterial hydrogenase. The atmosphere has recently been shown to be a key source of energy for diverse soil bacteria. Bacteria use complex enzymes, namely Huc-type hydrogenases, to harvest atmospheric hydrogen directly from air to support growth and survival. However, little is known about how Huc functions within and outside cells. By synergising expertise in microbiology, biochemistry, and chemistry, we will resolve the mechanism, assembly, and integr ....Extracting energy from air: mechanism of a bacterial hydrogenase. The atmosphere has recently been shown to be a key source of energy for diverse soil bacteria. Bacteria use complex enzymes, namely Huc-type hydrogenases, to harvest atmospheric hydrogen directly from air to support growth and survival. However, little is known about how Huc functions within and outside cells. By synergising expertise in microbiology, biochemistry, and chemistry, we will resolve the mechanism, assembly, and integration of Huc, including the basis of its remarkably high affinity and oxygen insensitivity compared to previously studied hydrogenases. This project will enable biotechnological applications, as the first study of an enzyme that extracts energy from air, and has broad ecological and biogeochemical implications.Read moreRead less
The infectome of NSW dairy calves, a genomic microbial surveillance . Infectious diseases are the main cause of disease and mortality in calves. The knowledge of the diversity of infectious disease-causing agents in NSW dairy cattle is not comprehensive. Thus, the immediate goal of this proposal is to redress this knowledge gap using untargeted microbial genomic sequencing to characterise and identify known and emerging enteric and respiratory pathogens in dairy calves. We will determine the occ ....The infectome of NSW dairy calves, a genomic microbial surveillance . Infectious diseases are the main cause of disease and mortality in calves. The knowledge of the diversity of infectious disease-causing agents in NSW dairy cattle is not comprehensive. Thus, the immediate goal of this proposal is to redress this knowledge gap using untargeted microbial genomic sequencing to characterise and identify known and emerging enteric and respiratory pathogens in dairy calves. We will determine the occurrence and distribution of their microbial species across all NSW dairy regions. This will enable the Australian dairy industry to improve animal health and productivity, and diagnostic capacity, which will allow farmers to make informed management decisions about disease control strategies. Read moreRead less
Novel biological and genetic disease control tools for the barley industry. This project places Australian barley breeders at the forefront of disease resistance by providing them with novel tools to develop varieties with enhanced protection against fungal diseases. The aims are to produce fungal strains with multiple virulence genes for fast and cost-effective testing of barley lines, untangle the fungal/host gene interaction for resistance breeding and identify new sources of resistance. The ....Novel biological and genetic disease control tools for the barley industry. This project places Australian barley breeders at the forefront of disease resistance by providing them with novel tools to develop varieties with enhanced protection against fungal diseases. The aims are to produce fungal strains with multiple virulence genes for fast and cost-effective testing of barley lines, untangle the fungal/host gene interaction for resistance breeding and identify new sources of resistance. The outcomes will lead to the commercialisation by Australian breeding companies of barley varieties with durable fungal resistance. This will benefit the Australian economy by providing sustainability and protection for barley breeding thereby significantly reducing crop losses for this important global agricultural commodity.Read moreRead less
Data-driven phylodynamics: molecular evolution to epidemiology. This project aims to uncover how different environmental and ecological variables drive the emergence of pathogens with increased transmissibility or virulence, known as variants. This will be achieved through extensive analyses of virus genome data.
This project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of pathogen evolution using novel data-driven statistical techniques for genomic analyses.
Expected outcomes of this proje ....Data-driven phylodynamics: molecular evolution to epidemiology. This project aims to uncover how different environmental and ecological variables drive the emergence of pathogens with increased transmissibility or virulence, known as variants. This will be achieved through extensive analyses of virus genome data.
This project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of pathogen evolution using novel data-driven statistical techniques for genomic analyses.
Expected outcomes of this project are a new understanding of the circumstances under which pathogen variants emerge and a suite of statistical tools to exploit the vast genome data available.
This should provide significant benefits by generating new knowledge with the potential to improve biosecurity, agriculture, and heath.
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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100316
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,431.00
Summary
Population genomic methods for modelling bacterial pathogen evolution. This project aims to develop novel techniques to model bacterial genome evolution and improve our understanding of how major agricultural and human pathogens, including Enterococcus, Salmonella and E. coli, evolve. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how horizontal gene transfer shapes the evolution of bacteria and how these dynamics vary over different temporal scales. Expected outcomes include methodological ....Population genomic methods for modelling bacterial pathogen evolution. This project aims to develop novel techniques to model bacterial genome evolution and improve our understanding of how major agricultural and human pathogens, including Enterococcus, Salmonella and E. coli, evolve. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how horizontal gene transfer shapes the evolution of bacteria and how these dynamics vary over different temporal scales. Expected outcomes include methodological advances that will enable the analysis of massive contemporary datasets. These methods and resulting analyses will provide significant benefits including informing the design of superior long-term interventions to reduce bacterial disease in both agriculture and health that are robust to the evolution of bacteria.Read moreRead less
Dissecting bacterial signal transduction. Bacteria have feelings. They sense and respond to changes using proteins called two-component signalling systems (TCSS). These comprise a sensor which activates a DNA binding protein in response to specific cues (signals). Using state-of-the-art genetic techniques and a synthetic biology approach, this research aims to reveal for the first time how these complex bacterial TCSS networks interact. The outcomes will be a fundamental, new understanding of ho ....Dissecting bacterial signal transduction. Bacteria have feelings. They sense and respond to changes using proteins called two-component signalling systems (TCSS). These comprise a sensor which activates a DNA binding protein in response to specific cues (signals). Using state-of-the-art genetic techniques and a synthetic biology approach, this research aims to reveal for the first time how these complex bacterial TCSS networks interact. The outcomes will be a fundamental, new understanding of how bacteria sense and respond to environmental signals; a deep dive into how bacteria feel. This knowledge will be the basis for innovative approaches to harness bacteria in biotech such as vaccine production, biofuels, or clever therapeutic interventions to stop bacterial infections.Read moreRead less