Molecular mechanisms of catalysis and the basis of substrate specificity in polysaccharide hydrolases. Reaction intermediates along hydrolytic pathways and molecular determinants of substrate specificity of barley B-glucan exo- and endohydrolases will be defined using crystallographic and kinetic analyses. These enzymes are of central importance in cell wall metabolism during development of higher plants, and in plant-pathogen interactions. Realization of the project objectives will not only pro ....Molecular mechanisms of catalysis and the basis of substrate specificity in polysaccharide hydrolases. Reaction intermediates along hydrolytic pathways and molecular determinants of substrate specificity of barley B-glucan exo- and endohydrolases will be defined using crystallographic and kinetic analyses. These enzymes are of central importance in cell wall metabolism during development of higher plants, and in plant-pathogen interactions. Realization of the project objectives will not only provide fundamental information on catalytic mechanisms, but will also provide opportunities to manipulate enzyme specificity. Further, site-directed mutagenesis of the enzymes will be used to generate glycosynthases, which will be evaluated for their ability to synthesise novel oligosaccharide and polysaccharide products, some of which might show immunomodulating activity.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
Finding the missing links in salt and water transport in plants. Grain crops and horticultural plants use proteins called aquaporins to move water across cell membranes, but a group of these proteins can also transport some important nutrient ions as well as toxic sodium ions. This project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and ion transport via aquaporins using advanced techniques in biophysics and molecular biology. These results will provide novel insights into how plan ....Finding the missing links in salt and water transport in plants. Grain crops and horticultural plants use proteins called aquaporins to move water across cell membranes, but a group of these proteins can also transport some important nutrient ions as well as toxic sodium ions. This project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and ion transport via aquaporins using advanced techniques in biophysics and molecular biology. These results will provide novel insights into how plants coordinate and adapt to changing water and salt conditions, addressing a missing link in how ions and water move in and out of plant vacuoles. Benefits include an expanded, innovative range of targets for plant breeding programs to improve plant productivity in our changing climate.Read moreRead less
How SEP-like genes determine cereal inflorescence architecture. This project aims to understand the morphological diversity of inflorescence architecture between cereal crop species. To do so, this project will identify functions and analyse the regulatory networks of conserved SEPALLATA genes (SEPs). This will enable them to determine cereal inflorescence morphogenesis of rice (branching) and barley (non-branching), representing the most important cereals. Identifying and understanding rice and ....How SEP-like genes determine cereal inflorescence architecture. This project aims to understand the morphological diversity of inflorescence architecture between cereal crop species. To do so, this project will identify functions and analyse the regulatory networks of conserved SEPALLATA genes (SEPs). This will enable them to determine cereal inflorescence morphogenesis of rice (branching) and barley (non-branching), representing the most important cereals. Identifying and understanding rice and barley SEPs, their direct targets and interactors, and how they regulate inflorescence branches and spikelets in both species is expected to provide evolutionary and developmental insights and targets to improve for crop yield. A molecular understanding of the regulatory network that underpins inflorescence shape and grain number will advance fundamental biology, and could form the basis for significant yield improvements by manipulating key points in the developmental pathway.Read moreRead less
Protecting cereal grain development at high temperatures. This project aims to investigate new temperature-responsive factors that regulate cereal grain development to protect grain production under heat stress. The new research will leverage international collaborations with access to cutting-edge genetic and technological resources, and refine novel X-ray imaging techniques in Australia, to observe how temperature affects flower structure and function in barley and rice. Favourable mutations t ....Protecting cereal grain development at high temperatures. This project aims to investigate new temperature-responsive factors that regulate cereal grain development to protect grain production under heat stress. The new research will leverage international collaborations with access to cutting-edge genetic and technological resources, and refine novel X-ray imaging techniques in Australia, to observe how temperature affects flower structure and function in barley and rice. Favourable mutations that optimise plant yield and fitness will be defined and explored in other, more complex, cereals such as wheat. Expected outcomes will be fundamental breakthroughs in understanding how plants respond to, and buffer, the effects of heat to lead to translational breeding strategies that bolster grain yield.Read moreRead less
A signalling pathway for future crop improvement. This project aims to decipher a mechanism that controls plant gas exchange – the process that emits oxygen, loses water, absorbs carbon dioxide and is essential for plant growth for food, fibre and fuel production. When plants encounter stressful conditions such as drought, high temperatures or flooding, they adapt their physiology to maintain viability and re-establish growth. This project will manipulate stress-induced gamma-aminobutyric acid’s ....A signalling pathway for future crop improvement. This project aims to decipher a mechanism that controls plant gas exchange – the process that emits oxygen, loses water, absorbs carbon dioxide and is essential for plant growth for food, fibre and fuel production. When plants encounter stressful conditions such as drought, high temperatures or flooding, they adapt their physiology to maintain viability and re-establish growth. This project will manipulate stress-induced gamma-aminobutyric acid’s capacity to control plant gas exchange to help secure future food production, through improving crop tolerance to stresses such as low water availability and high temperatures – conditions associated with a changing Australian climate.Read moreRead less
Unique parental epitranscriptome states regulate seed development. This project aims to investigate how developing central cell epitranscriptomes are linked to seed growth, how the cell regulates the unique epigenetic states, and the role of the system in driving phenotypic diversity. Maternal and paternal effects determine growth and development of multicellular angiosperm plants. Previous work has discovered unique ribonucleic acid (RNA) epitranscriptome states dependent on the parent-of-origi ....Unique parental epitranscriptome states regulate seed development. This project aims to investigate how developing central cell epitranscriptomes are linked to seed growth, how the cell regulates the unique epigenetic states, and the role of the system in driving phenotypic diversity. Maternal and paternal effects determine growth and development of multicellular angiosperm plants. Previous work has discovered unique ribonucleic acid (RNA) epitranscriptome states dependent on the parent-of-origin in developing central cell that gives rise to the endosperm tissue of the seed that impacts on growth of the seed. This project expects to provide economic benefits by increasing yield of agricultural crops during increasingly challenging conditions.Read moreRead less
How do plant roots align nitrogen uptake to soil opportunities? Improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crop plants is required to achieve sustainable plant agriculture practices that maximise productivity while minimising nitrogen fertiliser-dependent pollution. Current high-input monoculture plant production systems suffer from poor NUE and can contribute to local and global nitrogen pollution outcomes. Improving how plants manage their nitrogen uptake will improve NUE and help support Aust ....How do plant roots align nitrogen uptake to soil opportunities? Improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crop plants is required to achieve sustainable plant agriculture practices that maximise productivity while minimising nitrogen fertiliser-dependent pollution. Current high-input monoculture plant production systems suffer from poor NUE and can contribute to local and global nitrogen pollution outcomes. Improving how plants manage their nitrogen uptake will improve NUE and help support Australian plant agriculture. This project will investigate novel technologies that re-engineer nitrate transport activity. The project will also investigate the biochemical and molecular links between nitrogen uptake on root development required for improved plant growth.Read moreRead less
Control of crop-microbe symbiosis by new plant hormones. This project aims to discover how plants use hormone-like chemicals, called butenolides, to control symbiotic relationships with soil fungi. It will use multidisciplinary and collaborative techniques to establish how butenolide metabolism affects the diversity of fungal colonisation. Expected outcomes of this project include a deeper understanding of how plants regulate the competency of roots to host symbiotic fungi, and how this affects ....Control of crop-microbe symbiosis by new plant hormones. This project aims to discover how plants use hormone-like chemicals, called butenolides, to control symbiotic relationships with soil fungi. It will use multidisciplinary and collaborative techniques to establish how butenolide metabolism affects the diversity of fungal colonisation. Expected outcomes of this project include a deeper understanding of how plants regulate the competency of roots to host symbiotic fungi, and how this affects plant growth. As such, it will generate knowledge of how cereals such as barley could be modified to improve their nutrient use efficiency. Benefits of this project include the potential to reduce fertiliser inputs, thereby improving the competitiveness and environmental impact of Australian agriculture.Read moreRead less
Investigating a novel signalling pathway for crop improvement. This project will dissect a newly identified signalling pathway in plants that regulates plant water use and carbon gain. It will deploy multiple techniques, including novel biosensors, to understand the links between the metabolism of plants and their environmental responses. The project will build partnerships with scientists at leading international institutions for enhanced outcomes, including access to specialised equipment and ....Investigating a novel signalling pathway for crop improvement. This project will dissect a newly identified signalling pathway in plants that regulates plant water use and carbon gain. It will deploy multiple techniques, including novel biosensors, to understand the links between the metabolism of plants and their environmental responses. The project will build partnerships with scientists at leading international institutions for enhanced outcomes, including access to specialised equipment and upskilling of our scientists. The generation of barley with the latest gene editing techniques aims to produce a non-GM crop with the potential for enhanced root C sequestration, lower water use and improved yield, three key goals for agricultural sustainability in the face of a drying Australian climate.Read moreRead less