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The routes of infection with sheep scrapie and agents that cause related prion diseases. We will define the routes by which the infective agents for scrapie, a debilitating disease of sheep, reach the nervous system after being consumed with food. Scrapie is from the same disease group (prion diseases) as mad cow disease. There would be a large economic cost were prion diseases to infect agricultural animals in Australia, through bioterrorism or accident. An outbreak in sheep could ruin the indu ....The routes of infection with sheep scrapie and agents that cause related prion diseases. We will define the routes by which the infective agents for scrapie, a debilitating disease of sheep, reach the nervous system after being consumed with food. Scrapie is from the same disease group (prion diseases) as mad cow disease. There would be a large economic cost were prion diseases to infect agricultural animals in Australia, through bioterrorism or accident. An outbreak in sheep could ruin the industry, as our export markets would be immediately blocked, and thousands of animals would be killed to stop disease spread. The benefit of clearly understanding how the infective agents reach the nervous system is that this may lead to strategies to intervene, and thus limit the spread and seriousness of infection.Read moreRead less
Anti-ageing role for relaxin in blood vessels. Arteries stiffen with age. This is due to increased arterial smooth muscle tone and alterations in the extracellular matrix. In a sense, the artery undergoes ?fibrosis? with aging. In light of the anti-fibrotic attributes of the peptide hormone relaxin observed in other tissues, this collaborative project will investigate the potential role for relaxin in opposing arterial ?fibrosis? associated with aging. We will test the hypothesis that a reductio ....Anti-ageing role for relaxin in blood vessels. Arteries stiffen with age. This is due to increased arterial smooth muscle tone and alterations in the extracellular matrix. In a sense, the artery undergoes ?fibrosis? with aging. In light of the anti-fibrotic attributes of the peptide hormone relaxin observed in other tissues, this collaborative project will investigate the potential role for relaxin in opposing arterial ?fibrosis? associated with aging. We will test the hypothesis that a reduction in arterial relaxin expression in older animals is a major cause of arterial stiffening. Further studies will investigate the mechanisms by which relaxin administration can alleviate this phenomenon.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of insulin-independent glucose uptake mediated by guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins) coupled receptors. This project will provide first class postdoctoral training for Dr Sato in the laboratory of A/Prof Bengtsson one of the pioneers in the field of cell metabolism. He will learn new approaches to the study of cell signalling including the use of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) technologies and of a series of functionally altered mutants of phosphatidylinosito ....Characterisation of insulin-independent glucose uptake mediated by guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins) coupled receptors. This project will provide first class postdoctoral training for Dr Sato in the laboratory of A/Prof Bengtsson one of the pioneers in the field of cell metabolism. He will learn new approaches to the study of cell signalling including the use of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) technologies and of a series of functionally altered mutants of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase that he will bring back to Monash University. A better understanding of the cell signalling mechanisms involved in glucose transport will be of enormous benefit in developing new approaches to the treatment of diseases such as type II diabetes.Read moreRead less
Understanding how the brain uses sensory information to guide reaching and grasping movements. Reaching, grasping and manipulating objects are crucial aspects of our daily lives, which are performed so effortlessly that they tend to be taken for granted. We know however that these functions take a relatively long time to mature (think of a baby learning how to get an object), and that they can be impaired by brain lesions involving a region called the posterior parietal cortex. We also know that ....Understanding how the brain uses sensory information to guide reaching and grasping movements. Reaching, grasping and manipulating objects are crucial aspects of our daily lives, which are performed so effortlessly that they tend to be taken for granted. We know however that these functions take a relatively long time to mature (think of a baby learning how to get an object), and that they can be impaired by brain lesions involving a region called the posterior parietal cortex. We also know that this region has multiple subdivisions, but how exactly these interact in allowing the sensory information to guide arm and hand muscles is unknown. Discovering how this happens in terms of cellular interaction can have profound implications for the creation of new technologies such as artificial limbs and autonomous robots, and result in health benefits.Read moreRead less
High temperature limits of leaf function. In arid and semi-arid central Australia, Acacia spp. dominate the over-storey, but this shifts to Eucalyptus and Corymbia spp. in more mesic coastal regions. Areas of central Australia are extremely hot, dry and sunny, and it is this combination of stresses that likely excludes Eucalyptus spp. from many landforms. There has been little research on high temperature tolerance of Acacia and Eucalyptus, despite the putative importance of this stress, in co ....High temperature limits of leaf function. In arid and semi-arid central Australia, Acacia spp. dominate the over-storey, but this shifts to Eucalyptus and Corymbia spp. in more mesic coastal regions. Areas of central Australia are extremely hot, dry and sunny, and it is this combination of stresses that likely excludes Eucalyptus spp. from many landforms. There has been little research on high temperature tolerance of Acacia and Eucalyptus, despite the putative importance of this stress, in combination with other stresses, in limiting species? distributions. Our program of collaborative research will examine the tolerance of Acacia and Eucalyptus to a combination of high temperatures, drought and high light.Read moreRead less