Small is beautiful: Did gene-rich regions of mammal chromosomes evolve from microchromosomes? Most birds and reptile genomes feature many tiny microchromosomes. These are not junk, as previously thought, but contain most of the genes. Mammals lack microchromosomes, but contain gene-rich regions with similar attributes. We suggest that microchromosomes originated by genome duplication, and evolved into the gene-rich regions of mammalian chromosomes. We will test this hypothesis by comparing seque ....Small is beautiful: Did gene-rich regions of mammal chromosomes evolve from microchromosomes? Most birds and reptile genomes feature many tiny microchromosomes. These are not junk, as previously thought, but contain most of the genes. Mammals lack microchromosomes, but contain gene-rich regions with similar attributes. We suggest that microchromosomes originated by genome duplication, and evolved into the gene-rich regions of mammalian chromosomes. We will test this hypothesis by comparing sequences and genes in microchromosomes of birds, reptiles and monotremes. This will clarify the origin and evolution of the ?microgenome?, establish its suitability as a model for vertebrate genome organisation, and demonstrate whether microchromosomes are the ancestors of the gene-rich regions of mammalian chromosomes.Read moreRead less
Endosymbiotic DNA transfer. Interorganellar DNA movement is a major force in evolution. In higher organisms, the prokaryotic ancestors of mitochondria and chloroplasts donated many genes to the nucleus. Plants have unique potential in studies of the mechanisms that have driven genome evolution. We established experimentally that DNA moves from the chloroplast to the nucleus at high frequency and this provided us with a world lead in this scientifically new area. The relocated genes contribute to ....Endosymbiotic DNA transfer. Interorganellar DNA movement is a major force in evolution. In higher organisms, the prokaryotic ancestors of mitochondria and chloroplasts donated many genes to the nucleus. Plants have unique potential in studies of the mechanisms that have driven genome evolution. We established experimentally that DNA moves from the chloroplast to the nucleus at high frequency and this provided us with a world lead in this scientifically new area. The relocated genes contribute to the number and diversity of genes and gene function. Genetically manipulated (GM) crops use the chloroplast compartment to make high levels of protein, necessitating a full understanding of how transgenes behave within the cellular and the external environment.Read moreRead less
Trafficking of DNA between chloroplast and nucleus in higher plants. Reliably high levels of diverse proteins can be produced in plant chloroplasts. Environmental risks are considered low for chloroplast genes because they are not transmitted by pollen. However, we recently discovered that DNA escapes from the tobacco chloroplast to the nucleus with unexpectedly high frequency. The associated environmental risks require immediate investigation. This project will determine the fate of chloroplast ....Trafficking of DNA between chloroplast and nucleus in higher plants. Reliably high levels of diverse proteins can be produced in plant chloroplasts. Environmental risks are considered low for chloroplast genes because they are not transmitted by pollen. However, we recently discovered that DNA escapes from the tobacco chloroplast to the nucleus with unexpectedly high frequency. The associated environmental risks require immediate investigation. This project will determine the fate of chloroplast DNA that has moved to the nuclear genome and gain insight into the evolutionary and environmental consequences of chloroplast DNA escape. The ubiquity of DNA escape also will be studied in an edible crop with a small genome, tomato.Read moreRead less
A shipload of consequences: studying the impact of Old World diseases on native South American populations via ancient DNA. This pioneering project will give the first real-time picture of the genetic changes induced by epidemics in human populations. This will reveal important new information about the likely impact of future epidemics on the genetic diversity of the immune system in modern human populations and will be of substantial use in building epidemiological models. By proposing to comb ....A shipload of consequences: studying the impact of Old World diseases on native South American populations via ancient DNA. This pioneering project will give the first real-time picture of the genetic changes induced by epidemics in human populations. This will reveal important new information about the likely impact of future epidemics on the genetic diversity of the immune system in modern human populations and will be of substantial use in building epidemiological models. By proposing to combine state-of-the-art science with global problems of humanity, we will address Australia's interests in expanding scientific expertise beyond its borders and place Australia at the leading edge of disease impact studies.Read moreRead less
Evolution of host relationships among the parasitic wasps inferred from morphology, DNA sequences and mitochondrial genome organisation. The parasitic Hymenoptera (wasps) are extensively used as biological control agents of agricultural and horticultural pests worldwide, but detailed information on their evolutionary relationships, how they have coevolved with major host groups, and the patterns of host relationships across various wasp families are lacking. This project will employ DNA sequence ....Evolution of host relationships among the parasitic wasps inferred from morphology, DNA sequences and mitochondrial genome organisation. The parasitic Hymenoptera (wasps) are extensively used as biological control agents of agricultural and horticultural pests worldwide, but detailed information on their evolutionary relationships, how they have coevolved with major host groups, and the patterns of host relationships across various wasp families are lacking. This project will employ DNA sequence data from 'new' genes, information on mitochondrial genome organisation, as well as morphology, to generate robust phylogenies for braconid and scelionid wasps that can be used to determine patterns of host utilisation and predict hosts for wasp groups where this information is currently unknown.Read moreRead less
Structural reorganization of the hymenopteran mitochondrial genome. This study will be the first detailed investigation of the evolution of mt genome reorganization, and as such it will identify the processes that shape the evolution of a molecule widely used to interpret phylogeny. A description of the processes that lead to mt genome reorganization will have a substantial impact on our understanding in two areas of mt biology; (1) the discovery of new molecular phenomena that impact on the or ....Structural reorganization of the hymenopteran mitochondrial genome. This study will be the first detailed investigation of the evolution of mt genome reorganization, and as such it will identify the processes that shape the evolution of a molecule widely used to interpret phylogeny. A description of the processes that lead to mt genome reorganization will have a substantial impact on our understanding in two areas of mt biology; (1) the discovery of new molecular phenomena that impact on the organization and evolution of this genome, and (2) the interpretation of its phylogenetic content. It will establish our research group as a leader in the field of evolutionary genetics. Training of high quality students, with exposure to international researchers, will be a significant component of this program.Read moreRead less
Analysis of interorganellar transposition of DNA. The movement of DNA between organelles is a major driving force in the eukaryotic evolution. In yeast about 75% of all nuclear genes may derive from protomitochondria. Though DNA transfer per se continues in all higher cells, including mammals, in most species the functional transfer of genes has stopped. It continues at a high rate in plants, giving them unique potential in evolutionary studies of the genome. We established experimentally that D ....Analysis of interorganellar transposition of DNA. The movement of DNA between organelles is a major driving force in the eukaryotic evolution. In yeast about 75% of all nuclear genes may derive from protomitochondria. Though DNA transfer per se continues in all higher cells, including mammals, in most species the functional transfer of genes has stopped. It continues at a high rate in plants, giving them unique potential in evolutionary studies of the genome. We established experimentally that DNA moves frequently from the plastid (chloroplast) to the nucleus. We now aim to measure the frequency of DNA transposition from the plastid to the mitochondrion. If transposition is sufficiently frequent, the approach can be used to transformation the mitochondrial genome.Read moreRead less
The molecular basis of endosymbiotic evolution. First: Timmis has a 20 year, pioneering reputation in this research area which has recently emerged as a major focus in evolutionary genetics, genomics and GM crop technology. Four years of recent ARC funding has enabled us to remain internationally competitive and significant papers and collaborative reviews in high-impact journals have resulted, to the benefit of Australia's reputation in biolological science. Second: our recent results have caus ....The molecular basis of endosymbiotic evolution. First: Timmis has a 20 year, pioneering reputation in this research area which has recently emerged as a major focus in evolutionary genetics, genomics and GM crop technology. Four years of recent ARC funding has enabled us to remain internationally competitive and significant papers and collaborative reviews in high-impact journals have resulted, to the benefit of Australia's reputation in biolological science. Second: our recent results have caused major debate about containment of GM crops. The knowledge gained from this research will provide essential information to ensure against environmental and human problems associated with transgene escape from GM crops into wild species.Read moreRead less
Major Evolutionary Events in Reptiles (Including Birds). Evolutionary patterns among the major groups of reptiles (including birds) will be resolved using new information from multiple (>6) nuclear genes combined with existing phenotypic and (mainly mitochondrial) genetic traits. This will simultaneously resolve several high-profile questions, such as: the origin and affinities of turtles, snakes and flightless birds; and the prevalence of phenotypic convergence generated by paedomorphosis and ....Major Evolutionary Events in Reptiles (Including Birds). Evolutionary patterns among the major groups of reptiles (including birds) will be resolved using new information from multiple (>6) nuclear genes combined with existing phenotypic and (mainly mitochondrial) genetic traits. This will simultaneously resolve several high-profile questions, such as: the origin and affinities of turtles, snakes and flightless birds; and the prevalence of phenotypic convergence generated by paedomorphosis and fossoriality. The multiple genetic and phenotypic data sets will also reveal any broad links between genetic and phenotypic evolution (e.g. rate correlations), and the differing abilities of nuclear genes, mitochondrial genes, and phenotypic traits to track (and thus reflect) deep evolutionary branchings.Read moreRead less
Genetic variation in the Cotesia flavipes complex of parasitic wasps: towards the effective biological control of stem-borer pests. This project will determine the genetic variation among world populations of the parasitic wasp Cotesia flavipes, as a prelude to the preemptive biological control of stemborer pests of sugarcane in Australia. These pests currently do not occur in Australia, but are found in crops across New Guinea and Indonesia, so that their incursion into Australia is highly lik ....Genetic variation in the Cotesia flavipes complex of parasitic wasps: towards the effective biological control of stem-borer pests. This project will determine the genetic variation among world populations of the parasitic wasp Cotesia flavipes, as a prelude to the preemptive biological control of stemborer pests of sugarcane in Australia. These pests currently do not occur in Australia, but are found in crops across New Guinea and Indonesia, so that their incursion into Australia is highly likely in the future. The results of this project will clarify the taxonomic status of C. flavipes-like species in Australia and provide the means, using molecular markers, to select host strains of this wasp suitable for the control of specific stemborer speciesRead moreRead less