Safer gene editing tools for Australian livestock and biotech industries. Editing the genome of an organism in an efficient and safe fashion is critical for the livestock and biotechnology industries. While CRISPR-Cas9 has become the method of choice for genome editing, it is known to introduce unwanted "on-target" and "off-target" mutations, limiting its utility. To address this the CI team created a novel genome editing platform technology termed Crackling-CAST that is almost 100% accurate, w ....Safer gene editing tools for Australian livestock and biotech industries. Editing the genome of an organism in an efficient and safe fashion is critical for the livestock and biotechnology industries. While CRISPR-Cas9 has become the method of choice for genome editing, it is known to introduce unwanted "on-target" and "off-target" mutations, limiting its utility. To address this the CI team created a novel genome editing platform technology termed Crackling-CAST that is almost 100% accurate, while retaining the efficiency of the classical Cas9 system. This project will exemplify the capabilities of the novel gene targeting platform in cell types used by the biotechnology and livestock sectors, ensuring its global uptake by these industries and delivering significant economic benefits for Australia. Read moreRead less
Microgenomics - a tool to dissect effects of salinity on gene expression in specific cell types of Arabidopsis and rice. This project will provide novel, fundamental understanding of the cell type-specific processes involved in salinity tolerance in higher plants. As such, it will impact on our understanding of a range of processes relevant to salinity tolerance, an area of great importance to Australian agriculture and environmental sustainability. The increased understanding arising from this ....Microgenomics - a tool to dissect effects of salinity on gene expression in specific cell types of Arabidopsis and rice. This project will provide novel, fundamental understanding of the cell type-specific processes involved in salinity tolerance in higher plants. As such, it will impact on our understanding of a range of processes relevant to salinity tolerance, an area of great importance to Australian agriculture and environmental sustainability. The increased understanding arising from this project will underpin future work to increase agricultural productivity and the quality of life for all in the Australian and international communities.Read moreRead less
Calcium compartmentation in leaves: testing an integrated model of water and calcium transport with cell specific functional genomics. Calcium is a vital nutrient to animals and humans and its storage in vegetation is important for its accessibility. We believe this storage is linked to water flow in the leaf by a novel mechanism. This project will provide fundamental understanding of the cell type-specific processes involved in calcium storage and water flow in plants. High calibre PhD and Hono ....Calcium compartmentation in leaves: testing an integrated model of water and calcium transport with cell specific functional genomics. Calcium is a vital nutrient to animals and humans and its storage in vegetation is important for its accessibility. We believe this storage is linked to water flow in the leaf by a novel mechanism. This project will provide fundamental understanding of the cell type-specific processes involved in calcium storage and water flow in plants. High calibre PhD and Honours students will be educated to maintain the momentum of international excellence within Australia in the field of plant nutrient relations. The increase in understanding will allow future work to improve calcium availability and water use by plants to the benefit of agricultural productivity and quality of life.Read moreRead less
Modification of lignin biosynthesis in sugarcane for the improved efficiency of pre-treatment in ethanol production. Sugarcane is one of Australia's most important rural industries. However, as a single product industry, declining sugar prices threaten the industry's long term economic sustainability unless alternative markets for sugarcane are created. Utilising the sugarcane waste for cellulosic ethanol would provide a new revenue stream, injecting life into the Australian sugarcane industry. ....Modification of lignin biosynthesis in sugarcane for the improved efficiency of pre-treatment in ethanol production. Sugarcane is one of Australia's most important rural industries. However, as a single product industry, declining sugar prices threaten the industry's long term economic sustainability unless alternative markets for sugarcane are created. Utilising the sugarcane waste for cellulosic ethanol would provide a new revenue stream, injecting life into the Australian sugarcane industry. In addition, cellulosic ethanol from sugarcane has the potential to substantially decrease the cost of biofuel production and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The research proposed here will advance our ability to improve sugarcane through biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Creation of a non-venomous honey bee. On average, two Australians die from bee stings each year. Our goal is produce honey bees that do not have a dangerous sting.
Molecular control of embryonic patterning: The function of Rhou gene in mediating response to WNT signalling. The scientific knowledge gained from this investigation of the early development of embryos will inform us of how the essential building blocks of the body are assembled, and provide insights into the genetic and developmental causes of birth defects. This will benefit the health professionals, the research community, the education sector and the general public, by underpinning the form ....Molecular control of embryonic patterning: The function of Rhou gene in mediating response to WNT signalling. The scientific knowledge gained from this investigation of the early development of embryos will inform us of how the essential building blocks of the body are assembled, and provide insights into the genetic and developmental causes of birth defects. This will benefit the health professionals, the research community, the education sector and the general public, by underpinning the formulation of new research hypotheses, enriching the curriculum and the provision of informed counselling. The embryological expertise developed for this project will enhance the nation's research capability through the sharing of skills and knowledge with a national network of academic and industrial research teams. Read moreRead less
Re-uniting marsupials and eutherians by embryonic micromanipulation. The unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation normally depends on the gametes. This project will use new reproductive technologies to investigate the properties of the oocyte in reprogramming somatic cell nuclei, and will use the nuclei of both marsupial and eutherian somatic cells to test this. We will also use both marsupial and eutherian genes to insert into the oocyte to create the first tra ....Re-uniting marsupials and eutherians by embryonic micromanipulation. The unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation normally depends on the gametes. This project will use new reproductive technologies to investigate the properties of the oocyte in reprogramming somatic cell nuclei, and will use the nuclei of both marsupial and eutherian somatic cells to test this. We will also use both marsupial and eutherian genes to insert into the oocyte to create the first transgenic marsupials. We will also investigate the ability of spermatozoa from species of increasing genetic distance to ferttilise marsupial eggs using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).Read moreRead less
Tissue specific regulation of gene expression. Despite the polarized public debate concerning the use of stem cells for tissue regeneration, fundamental questions relating to the identity and hierarchy of these cells remain unanswered. The benefit to Australia will be scientific in terms of providing an understanding of how stem and progenitor cells integrate transcriptional control systems during differentiation and the networks that are involved. This is fundamental to the future isolation a ....Tissue specific regulation of gene expression. Despite the polarized public debate concerning the use of stem cells for tissue regeneration, fundamental questions relating to the identity and hierarchy of these cells remain unanswered. The benefit to Australia will be scientific in terms of providing an understanding of how stem and progenitor cells integrate transcriptional control systems during differentiation and the networks that are involved. This is fundamental to the future isolation and manipulation of these stem cell types to benefit the community. The work will also provide postgraduate students with training in state of the art genomic techniques and in the interface between bioinformatics and experimental science. Read moreRead less
Characterisation of PQ loop proteins in plants: are they voltage insensitive nonselective cation channels? Millions of hectares of Australian agricultural land are affected by salinity. This results in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year. The identification of the pathway for the initial influx of Na+ into plants from the soil will be important in helping to develop crop plants that are salt tolerant. This will increase our understanding of the mechanisms of salinity ....Characterisation of PQ loop proteins in plants: are they voltage insensitive nonselective cation channels? Millions of hectares of Australian agricultural land are affected by salinity. This results in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year. The identification of the pathway for the initial influx of Na+ into plants from the soil will be important in helping to develop crop plants that are salt tolerant. This will increase our understanding of the mechanisms of salinity tolerance, an area of great importance to Australian agriculture and environmental sustainability. The future applications of this work will increase agricultural productivity and enhance the quality of life for both Australians and the international community.Read moreRead less
Regulation of the EphA3 receptor tyrosine kinase in vertebrate development. The Eph/ephrin system has a critical role in normal embryonic development. Amongst vertebrates, the EphA3 gene is one of the most highly conserved genes in this system with critical roles in development of the visual system and in other developmental processes. Understanding how this gene is regulated will help us to understand the critical role of EphA3 in the basic biology of humans and other animals. This knowledge ma ....Regulation of the EphA3 receptor tyrosine kinase in vertebrate development. The Eph/ephrin system has a critical role in normal embryonic development. Amongst vertebrates, the EphA3 gene is one of the most highly conserved genes in this system with critical roles in development of the visual system and in other developmental processes. Understanding how this gene is regulated will help us to understand the critical role of EphA3 in the basic biology of humans and other animals. This knowledge may also shed light on the basis of congenital abnormalities and other pathological processes and possibly help us to understand how to prevent or treat these conditions.Read moreRead less