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
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
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
A New Window into Transgene Silencing in Plants: mechanisms of copy-number independent, 5' sequence dependent, post-transcriptional silencing in a complex polyploid. Silencing of introduced genes is a major problem limiting plant molecular improvement. Sugarcane, a complex polyploid, shows the most efficient transgene silencing ever observed in plants. Silencing operates on the RNA, depends on the upstream sequence of the gene, and is independent of copy number. Other plant species develop endop ....A New Window into Transgene Silencing in Plants: mechanisms of copy-number independent, 5' sequence dependent, post-transcriptional silencing in a complex polyploid. Silencing of introduced genes is a major problem limiting plant molecular improvement. Sugarcane, a complex polyploid, shows the most efficient transgene silencing ever observed in plants. Silencing operates on the RNA, depends on the upstream sequence of the gene, and is independent of copy number. Other plant species develop endopolyploidy with age, and show unpredictable or patchy silencing. We speculate that differential silencing is a natural control mechanism in the exploitation of polyploidy in plants. The sugarcane system provides an exceptional opportunity to identify the sequences that trigger and protect from silencing, and to develop approaches to avoid the problem.Read moreRead less