Structure and function of a new class of multi-zinc finger (MZF) transcriptional regulators. An understanding of how genes are switched on and off during the development and lifetime of an organism is central to developing the ability to fight many diseases in a rational way. This project will advance our knowledge in this area at a fundamental molecular level by examining the mechanisms through which a specific set of proteins controls gene expression.
CD151 and functional overlap in tetraspanins. The applicants are currently world leaders in the tetraspanin field. This project will enhance existing international collaborations to maintain and increase the applicants', and hence Australia's, international standing in this field and Australia's reputation in cell and molecular biology in general.
The project will greatly increase our understanding of this important but poorly understood family of proteins. It will also provide training opport ....CD151 and functional overlap in tetraspanins. The applicants are currently world leaders in the tetraspanin field. This project will enhance existing international collaborations to maintain and increase the applicants', and hence Australia's, international standing in this field and Australia's reputation in cell and molecular biology in general.
The project will greatly increase our understanding of this important but poorly understood family of proteins. It will also provide training opportunities for postgraduate students in state-of-the-art approaches in biotechnology.Read moreRead less
The MYB gene as a model for global transcriptional regulation: stopping, starting and looping. This project will study how transcriptional elongation controls the MYB gene, a key regulator of normal and cancerous growth and regulation. There are three major benefits that are likely to flow from the proposed research It will strengthen research in new and important areas of transcriptional regulation, by building research capacity in Australia in the area of gene expression, particularly with res ....The MYB gene as a model for global transcriptional regulation: stopping, starting and looping. This project will study how transcriptional elongation controls the MYB gene, a key regulator of normal and cancerous growth and regulation. There are three major benefits that are likely to flow from the proposed research It will strengthen research in new and important areas of transcriptional regulation, by building research capacity in Australia in the area of gene expression, particularly with respect to transcriptional elongation and long-range regulation. It will highlight a new approach to the therapeutic targeting of MYB in cancer: data generated from this research may enable us to target MYB expression in a range of cancers including breast cancer by inhibiting transcriptional elongation. And it will provide training in advanced molecular biology to postdoctoral scientists and students.Read moreRead less
Impact of the male germ line on the mutational load carried by mammalian embryos. This project examines whether a man's age or exposure to lifestyle factors (alcohol, cigarette smoke and mobile phone radiation) can have a major effect on the health of his children. The project is particularly relevant to the safety of assisted conception procedures used to treat the 1 in 20 Australian men suffering from infertility.
Sexual antagonism and the consequences of sex-specific selection. Males and females arise from essentially the same genome yet are selected in vastly different ways. This exposes gene pools to alternate episodes of feminising- and masculinising-selection, thereby promoting Sexually Antagonistic (SA) evolution. Sex chromosomes are predicted to play an important role in SA evolution because sex-linkage allows for gender-specific gene expression, but data on the role of sex-linked genes are limited ....Sexual antagonism and the consequences of sex-specific selection. Males and females arise from essentially the same genome yet are selected in vastly different ways. This exposes gene pools to alternate episodes of feminising- and masculinising-selection, thereby promoting Sexually Antagonistic (SA) evolution. Sex chromosomes are predicted to play an important role in SA evolution because sex-linkage allows for gender-specific gene expression, but data on the role of sex-linked genes are limited to Drosophila, a male heterogametic (XY) model. This project will determine the consequences of SA selection in the butterfly Eurema hecabe (a female ZW heterogamete) using experimental evolution and the feminising endosymbiont Wolbachia to force male genomes through bouts of feminising selection.Read moreRead less
Refining the timescale of human evolution and dispersal using ancient DNA. Understanding the timescale of human evolution and migration is a key goal of genetic analysis. It provides the foundation for studying our evolutionary and demographic history, our relationships to other hominids and our impact on the natural world. This project aims to use ancient DNA data to improve estimates of our evolutionary timescale.
Cellular Gene Regulation Networks. The benefit to Australia will be scientific in terms of providing an understanding of how cells integrate transcriptional control systems and the networks that are involved. This will inform research on folate deficiency and aberrant human development and towards identifying genes that are important in improving efficiency of microbial fermentations. Additional and more practical major benefits will follow from the development of tools to analyse interaction ....Cellular Gene Regulation Networks. The benefit to Australia will be scientific in terms of providing an understanding of how cells integrate transcriptional control systems and the networks that are involved. This will inform research on folate deficiency and aberrant human development and towards identifying genes that are important in improving efficiency of microbial fermentations. Additional and more practical major benefits will follow from the development of tools to analyse interactions between control systems, including software of value to the research community. The work will provide postgraduate students with major training in up-to-date genomic technologies, and in the interface between application of bioinformatics and experimental science.
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Intra-genomic conflict and the evolution of sexually selected traits. The dynamics of sexual selection may prevent the simultaneous optimization of traits shared by the sexes, or of different traits within each sex. This proposal focuses on the consequences of these conflicts for phenotypic and genomic evolution. First, I will compare selection acting on a sexually dimorphic trait in males and females. Second, I will use artificial selection to create a novel sexually dimorphic trait, and track ....Intra-genomic conflict and the evolution of sexually selected traits. The dynamics of sexual selection may prevent the simultaneous optimization of traits shared by the sexes, or of different traits within each sex. This proposal focuses on the consequences of these conflicts for phenotypic and genomic evolution. First, I will compare selection acting on a sexually dimorphic trait in males and females. Second, I will use artificial selection to create a novel sexually dimorphic trait, and track the evolutionary response. Third, I will investigate the link between two important fitness traits: body size and ageing rate. This work will enhance important on-going research in the laboratory of Robert Brooks (UNSW).Read moreRead less
Additive and non-additive genetic benefits of mating behaviour: a synthesis of sexual selection and conservation genetics. This research will forge a synthesis between the study of mating behaviour and it's consequences (sexual selection) and the field of conservation genetics. It will have direct relevance to conservation attempts, and far-reaching implications for how we understand sexual behaviour and the complex mating decisions animals and humans make. The work will enhance Australia's stro ....Additive and non-additive genetic benefits of mating behaviour: a synthesis of sexual selection and conservation genetics. This research will forge a synthesis between the study of mating behaviour and it's consequences (sexual selection) and the field of conservation genetics. It will have direct relevance to conservation attempts, and far-reaching implications for how we understand sexual behaviour and the complex mating decisions animals and humans make. The work will enhance Australia's strong research reputation in evolutionary genetics, sexual selection and conservation biology.Read moreRead less
Expanding and resolving the earliest modern human divergence through DNA. This project aims to expand and resolve the earliest modern human divergence. Although it is clear modern humans emerged from Africa, there is no consensus on the timeline of modern human evolution. Archaeological evidence suggests two contenders: east and southern Africa. Genetic data supports the latter; the team’s own data shows that the southern African KhoeSan click-speaking forager peoples have the oldest extant huma ....Expanding and resolving the earliest modern human divergence through DNA. This project aims to expand and resolve the earliest modern human divergence. Although it is clear modern humans emerged from Africa, there is no consensus on the timeline of modern human evolution. Archaeological evidence suggests two contenders: east and southern Africa. Genetic data supports the latter; the team’s own data shows that the southern African KhoeSan click-speaking forager peoples have the oldest extant human lineages. This project will generate large mitochondrial genome and whole genome sequence data for KhoeSan lineages. This is expected to narrow the time of modern human emergence.Read moreRead less