Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100090
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
Three-dimensional cryo electron microscopy facility. The three-dimensional cryo-electron microscopy facility will let us visualise plants, pathogens and nanomachines with resolution not previously possible allowing us to see into cells and diseases with vastly more detail. Our world-class experts will provide regional and national researchers access to cutting-edge technology complementary to the Australian Synchrotron.
Isolation and functional characterisation of a pathogen meta effector able to inhibit detection of multiple disease effectors by resistant plants. The rust fungi are a major economic threat to crop production in Australia. This project will investigate the molecular mechanism used by a rust fungus to prevent detection of multiple disease-inducing proteins by resistant plants and generate knowledge that will lead to the development of new and more effective disease control strategies.
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
ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Wall Biology. The ARC Centre for Plant Cell Wall Biology will define the regulatory mechanisms that control molecular, enzymic and cellular processes involved in the synthesis, deposition, re-modelling and depolymerisation of cell wall polysaccharides of cereals and grasses. Plant cell walls represent the world's largest renewable carbon resource, but the regulatory mechanisms responsible for their synthesis and assembly are not understood. Key distinguishi ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Wall Biology. The ARC Centre for Plant Cell Wall Biology will define the regulatory mechanisms that control molecular, enzymic and cellular processes involved in the synthesis, deposition, re-modelling and depolymerisation of cell wall polysaccharides of cereals and grasses. Plant cell walls represent the world's largest renewable carbon resource, but the regulatory mechanisms responsible for their synthesis and assembly are not understood. Key distinguishing features of the Centre will be the international, integrative, and multidisciplinary approach towards addressing major questions in plant biology, its strategy to leverage ARC funding, and its linkages with potential national and international end-users of the fundamental scientific discoveries.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. We propose a novel approach to improve sustainable yield by optimising the overall efficiency of energy capture, conversion and use by plants. Efficiency gains in metabolism, transport, and development will be more effective than optimising single nutrient inputs or product outputs. Improving multiple parameters simultaneously is a necessary solution to the increasing demand for more crop yield from finite land, water, and nutrient resources. Unp ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. We propose a novel approach to improve sustainable yield by optimising the overall efficiency of energy capture, conversion and use by plants. Efficiency gains in metabolism, transport, and development will be more effective than optimising single nutrient inputs or product outputs. Improving multiple parameters simultaneously is a necessary solution to the increasing demand for more crop yield from finite land, water, and nutrient resources. Unpredictable environmental challenges adversely affect plant growth and further perturb plant energy balance, limiting yield. The epigenetic controls, gene variants and signals discovered will provide a new basis for sustainable productivity of crops and will future-proof plants in changing climates.Read moreRead less
Molecular basis of rust infection and host plant resistance. Plant diseases threaten agricultural productivity in Australia, with rust fungi being a major problem for cereal grain production. This project will investigate molecular processes underlying the infection of plants by rust fungi and will provide basic knowledge for development of novel and durable disease resistance strategies.
Gene identification and functional characterization for metabolism-based herbicide resistance in Lolium rigidum. Evolution of multiple herbicide resistance is widespread in Lolium rigidum in Australia. This resistance is very often endowed by enhanced rates of herbicide metabolism (metabolic resistance) involving cytochrome P450. This project aims to identify, clone and characterise important herbicide-metabolising P450 and other genes from multiple herbicide-resistant L. rigidum biotypes, and d ....Gene identification and functional characterization for metabolism-based herbicide resistance in Lolium rigidum. Evolution of multiple herbicide resistance is widespread in Lolium rigidum in Australia. This resistance is very often endowed by enhanced rates of herbicide metabolism (metabolic resistance) involving cytochrome P450. This project aims to identify, clone and characterise important herbicide-metabolising P450 and other genes from multiple herbicide-resistant L. rigidum biotypes, and develop transcriptional and biochemical markers for metabolic resistance diagnosis. Herbicide-metabolising gene discovery, characterisation and marker development will greatly extend the currently limited knowledge and understanding of metabolic resistance and help achieve sustainable weed management.Read moreRead less
New approaches for screening cereal germplasm for enhanced microbial pathogen resistance and desirable grain texture. The trait of grain hardness (texture) is of significance to the Australian infrastructure, as exports of hard wheat contribute over 5 billion dollars per year on average to the national economy and hard wheats are also important for domestic usage. The genes responsible for grain texture also impart resistance to bacterial and fungal pathogens which can cause extensive damage. ....New approaches for screening cereal germplasm for enhanced microbial pathogen resistance and desirable grain texture. The trait of grain hardness (texture) is of significance to the Australian infrastructure, as exports of hard wheat contribute over 5 billion dollars per year on average to the national economy and hard wheats are also important for domestic usage. The genes responsible for grain texture also impart resistance to bacterial and fungal pathogens which can cause extensive damage. However, the Australian gene pool has very limited genetic diversity in grain textures and thus possibly in pathogen resistance. The project will work out the science behind these two traits and identify lines with new variants of textures and pathogen resistances, thus greatly benefiting the national infrastructure and local primary industries.Read moreRead less
Defining pathways that establish and maintain reproductive cell identity in plant ovules and seeds. Unlike animals, individual somatic cells in plants have the remarkable ability to regenerate into new plants, depending on the signals they perceive. This developmental plasticity is particularly important during normal plant growth, when mature cells adopt new identities within multicellular environments. Tissue complexity is critical for the utilisation of plants in society as food, fuel and fib ....Defining pathways that establish and maintain reproductive cell identity in plant ovules and seeds. Unlike animals, individual somatic cells in plants have the remarkable ability to regenerate into new plants, depending on the signals they perceive. This developmental plasticity is particularly important during normal plant growth, when mature cells adopt new identities within multicellular environments. Tissue complexity is critical for the utilisation of plants in society as food, fuel and fibre, but how and why plant cells adopt or change identity has been difficult to determine. This project aims to employ next-generation molecular methods to identify pathways driving differentiation of specific ovule and seed cell-types, which directly impact crop quality, yield and end-use.Read moreRead less
Revealing novel mechanisms conferring evolution of resistance to glufosinate and glyphosate in Eleusine indica. Glyphosate and its alternative glufosinate are the most important herbicides in world agriculture. The world’s first cases of glufosinate resistance in Eleusine indica have been recently reported. The aims of the proposed research is to identify the currently unknown biochemical and molecular mechanisms conferring glufosinate resistance, to unravel the novel molecular mechanism endowin ....Revealing novel mechanisms conferring evolution of resistance to glufosinate and glyphosate in Eleusine indica. Glyphosate and its alternative glufosinate are the most important herbicides in world agriculture. The world’s first cases of glufosinate resistance in Eleusine indica have been recently reported. The aims of the proposed research is to identify the currently unknown biochemical and molecular mechanisms conferring glufosinate resistance, to unravel the novel molecular mechanism endowing very high level glyphosate resistance, and to elucidate the evolutionary trajectory of glyphosate resistance in E. indica. This will advance our current knowledge and understanding of resistance evolution and have impact on resistance management.Read moreRead less