Multiscale Analysis Of Plasma Membrane Microdomains In Health And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,413.00
Summary
The cell surface encloses the cell in a protective barrier but it must also respond to signals coming from outside the cell. To accomplish this, the cell surface is made up of numerous regions each with a specialised role. This proposal aims to examine how lipids and proteins work together to make these specialised regions and aims to understand what goes wrong in diseases such as muscular dystrophy.
Dissecting A Serial Killer: Investigating The Degranulation Pathways In Cytotoxic Lymphocytes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$604,459.00
Summary
When cells of the human body become cancerous or infected with virus, the body's immune system engages cytotoxic lymphocytes, known as "killer cells", that secrete an auxiliary of toxic proteins to eliminate these cells. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms by which these critical immune cells accomplish this task. Importantly, humans who are genetically lacking in critical constituents of the cytotoxic lymphocyte are less able to fight off a viral infection and may be at a hig ....When cells of the human body become cancerous or infected with virus, the body's immune system engages cytotoxic lymphocytes, known as "killer cells", that secrete an auxiliary of toxic proteins to eliminate these cells. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms by which these critical immune cells accomplish this task. Importantly, humans who are genetically lacking in critical constituents of the cytotoxic lymphocyte are less able to fight off a viral infection and may be at a higher risk of developing cancer.Read moreRead less
Cytotoxic lymphocytes are immune cells responsible for the killing infected or cancerous cells. How cytotoxic lymphocytes mature from a naive inactive to a fully activated state as they encounter infected or malignant cells is poorly understood, and will be investigated in the current proposal. Our results will aid in the development of novel therapies for cancer and other immunological diseases.
Regulation Of ERK Driven Cell Proliferation By The Actin Cytoskeleton
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$920,972.00
Summary
The cells in your body respond to external signals and control their proliferation by transmitting signals from one part of the cell to another. This has usually been thought to involve the movement of signals through a liquid medium without the involvement of any machinery to control the movement. The project aims to test the role of the architecture of the cells in physically moving a growth signal from one place to another. We think that the architecture involved plays a key role in cancer.
Insulin resistance (the inability of ordinarily insulin-sensitive tissues such as muscle and adipose tissue to respond to insulin) contributes to a number of diseases including diabetes and obesity. A key metabolic step in these tissues is the uptake of glucose from the blood stream. This step is accelerated by insulin thus allowing efficient clearance of glucose from the bloodstream after a meal. Our laboratory has played a major role in showing that insulin regulates glucose uptake into muscle ....Insulin resistance (the inability of ordinarily insulin-sensitive tissues such as muscle and adipose tissue to respond to insulin) contributes to a number of diseases including diabetes and obesity. A key metabolic step in these tissues is the uptake of glucose from the blood stream. This step is accelerated by insulin thus allowing efficient clearance of glucose from the bloodstream after a meal. Our laboratory has played a major role in showing that insulin regulates glucose uptake into muscle and adipose tissue by stimulating the movement of a glucose transport protein from inside the cell to the cell surface (see http:--www.imb.uq.edu.au-groups-james-glut4 for an animated description of this process). The purpose of this proposal is to dissect the molecular mechanisms by which this glucose transporter can be held inside the cell in the absence of insulin and then allowed to be released from this site moving to the surface in the presence of insulin. Our studies over the past 5 years have brought us much closer to understanding this process in detail. The identification of the molecules responsible for this regulatory step will not only aid our understanding of this process but it will also provide a valuable target for development of therapeutic agents that can be used to combat insulin resistance.Read moreRead less