Understanding an exotic disease: Initiation of sex and infection by the sugarcane smut Ustilago scitaminea. Australian sugar exports generate almost $2 billion in annual sales, making the sugar industry a critical facet of the Australian economy. In 2006, Australia's primary sugar producing region came under threat when an outbreak of sugarcane smut caused by the fungus Ustilago scitaminea first appeared in Queensland. Management of this potentially devastating disease has focused on breeding pr ....Understanding an exotic disease: Initiation of sex and infection by the sugarcane smut Ustilago scitaminea. Australian sugar exports generate almost $2 billion in annual sales, making the sugar industry a critical facet of the Australian economy. In 2006, Australia's primary sugar producing region came under threat when an outbreak of sugarcane smut caused by the fungus Ustilago scitaminea first appeared in Queensland. Management of this potentially devastating disease has focused on breeding programmes aimed at developing resistant sugarcane cultivars, a complex process hampered by a lack of information about the mechanisms of smut resistance. Our research will provide key insight into the mechanisms by which U. scitaminea infects sugarcane, directing future breeding efforts and protecting this valuable industry against further outbreaks.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
Targeting and stabilizing proteins in sugar storage vacuoles for metabolic engineering in sugarcane. We have isolated a novel gene for an enzyme that efficiently converts sucrose into a product of much higher value. We have shown that the enzyme functions in sugarcane, a first example of the potential for new biosynthetic capacities in this highly productive crop. Because 90% of stored sucrose is in specialized vacuoles, the enzyme needs to be directed into these vacuoles, and made stable and ac ....Targeting and stabilizing proteins in sugar storage vacuoles for metabolic engineering in sugarcane. We have isolated a novel gene for an enzyme that efficiently converts sucrose into a product of much higher value. We have shown that the enzyme functions in sugarcane, a first example of the potential for new biosynthetic capacities in this highly productive crop. Because 90% of stored sucrose is in specialized vacuoles, the enzyme needs to be directed into these vacuoles, and made stable and active there. This is feasible by building on recent discoveries about vacuolar targeting in plants. The outputs include scientific understanding to underpin metabolic engineering in plants, and a profitable high-technology export industry for Australia.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
Plant transformation: exploiting anti-apoptosis genes for very high efficiency transformation. Crop improvement through genetic modification depends on the ability to transform target species. The most desirable method is Agrobacterium mediated transformation. However, plant species and cultivars differ significantly in their ability to be efficiently transformed by Agrobacterium. This is particularly true for the economically important cereals. We have discovered that anti-apoptosis genes, whic ....Plant transformation: exploiting anti-apoptosis genes for very high efficiency transformation. Crop improvement through genetic modification depends on the ability to transform target species. The most desirable method is Agrobacterium mediated transformation. However, plant species and cultivars differ significantly in their ability to be efficiently transformed by Agrobacterium. This is particularly true for the economically important cereals. We have discovered that anti-apoptosis genes, which inhibit programmed cell death, dramatically increase the Agrobacterium transformation efficiency in bananas and sugarcane. We will utilise this information and develop the use of these genes to increase the efficiency of transformation in those crops and cultivars that are difficult to transform using Agrobacterium.Read moreRead less