Deciphering The Role Of Scribble In Development And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$628,789.00
Summary
Scribble is a protein that controls the orientation and organization of all cells within our body. Mutations in the Scribble gene are found in many cancers and also in some patients with spina bifida, however how these mutations cause these diseases is not understood. Here we propose experiments that can be used to link Scribble mutations to specific cellular functions. This information will help us design new therapies to treat diseases driven by tissue disorganization such as cancer.
Understanding How Defects In Chromosome Structure Can Cause Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$546,557.00
Summary
The correct folding of DNA is critical to a cell's survival. This is orchestrated by a special class of proteins called the condensins. Defects in condensin lead to aberrant chromosome folding and disease. We aim to understand how condensin folds chromosomes and why mutations in condensin are increasingly associated with disease.
Development Of Peptide-based Scaffolds For Intracellular Cancer Targets
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,479,836.00
Summary
The overall aim of this project is to develop peptide-based drugs that are able to cross cell membranes and inhibit specific targets inside cells leading to more effective, safer and cost effective drugs for cancer. One potential outcome of the project will be new drug leads to treat melanoma and leukemia that are likely to be less toxic, more potent and less likely to develop resistance than current treatments.
Targeting Nucleic Acid Synthesis And Cell Division In Gram-negative Bacterial Pathogens
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$966,800.00
Summary
Some bacteria like Acinetobacter species cause infections in hospitals that are difficult to treat because they have acquired resistance to most antibiotics. This project will combine the complementary expertise of five research groups to develop knowledge of, and how to block, three essential processes in these worrying pathogenic species: copying of DNA, RNA synthesis, and cell division. This promises to lead to development of new antibacterial therapies.
The Special Role Of Histone Variants In Regulating The Inheritance And 3-dimensional Organisation Of The Epigenome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$962,716.00
Summary
It has been more than a decade since the human genome has been completely sequenced but how this genomic information is selectively utilized to direct gene expression that is unique to each of the 200 different cell types of the human body remains to be elucidated. We have new data to suggest that it is how our genome is packaged into a variety of different and dynamic 3-dimensional structures in a cell that determines cell type specific programs of gene expression
A New Paradigm For The Control Of Cellular Function: The Dynamic Reshaping Of The Epigenome By Histone Variants
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$672,735.00
Summary
Our DNA is packaged and partitioned into stable identities, chromosomes, which is critical for proper cell function and the inheritance of our genetic material from one cell generation to the next. Loss of chromosome integrity leads to cancer and therefore the cell must ensure that this does not happen. We have uncovered a new mechanism whereby different components of chromosomes can dynamically move from one location to another to ensure chromosomes remain stable when they are challenged.
The Role Of A New Class Of Chromatin Organising Hub
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,145,450.00
Summary
Within the cell nucleus, specific proteins weave DNA into structured loops that are vital for normal cell function. By studying the molecules involved, we have uncovered a ‘dock’ that controls this DNA architecture. We will define the components and function of this ‘dock’, and the resulting rapid cell death that occurs if it is disrupted. We will explore this cell death pathway thoroughly because we think it may help us to develop new cancer therapies.