Study Of Papillomavirus DNA Encapsidation And Formation Of Infectious Virions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$214,053.00
Summary
Papillomavirus (PV) is a sexually-transmitted virus that is a major cause of cervical cancer. Our study will determine how PV is able to form new virus particles inside infected cells. This is a critical part of the virus life-cycle, and a better understanding of this process may allow it to be trageted by anti-viral treatments. In addition, we will develop a method to create non-harmful virus particles which we will use to study human immune responses to the virus.
Title: Structure of hepadnaviral pre-genomic RNA. We aim to study the replication strategy of human hepatitis B virus (HBV), a member of the hepadnavirus family. Hepadnaviruses infect hepatocytes in the liver and are released in high numbers into the bloodstream. Infection is transmitted by blood or sexual contact. Hepadnaviruses cause acute and chronic infection with varying degrees of liver disease. The HBV DNA genome is formed by copying of a viral pre-genome made of RNA, into DNA. This proce ....Title: Structure of hepadnaviral pre-genomic RNA. We aim to study the replication strategy of human hepatitis B virus (HBV), a member of the hepadnavirus family. Hepadnaviruses infect hepatocytes in the liver and are released in high numbers into the bloodstream. Infection is transmitted by blood or sexual contact. Hepadnaviruses cause acute and chronic infection with varying degrees of liver disease. The HBV DNA genome is formed by copying of a viral pre-genome made of RNA, into DNA. This process is called reverse transcription and is performed by the viral polymerase. Reverse transcription occurs within viral nucleocapsids made of core antigen. After formation of the new viral DNA genome, nucleocapsids are enveloped in surface antigen and are released from the cell. It is assumed that 1 copy of HBV pre-genomic RNA is packaged within each viral nucleocapsid. However, members of the retrovirus family that have common evolutionary origins to hepadnaviruses and also replicate via reverse transcription, contain 2 copies of RNA. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the AIDS virus, is a well-studied example. In HIV infection 2 RNA genomes are packaged into each nucleocapsid and form a dimeric RNA genome. The HIV RNA is able to fold into a series of stem loops that promote formation of dimers. During the reverse transcription step in HIV replication, the polymerase switches templates and forms new combined strains of virus. The project aims to determine if 2 copies of pre-genomic RNA are packaged into HBV nucleocapsids. HBV pre-genomic RNA is able to form stem loop structures similar to those in HIV and has the potential to form dimeric RNA. If 2 copies of HBV pre-genomic RNA are packaged this will allow us to redefine the viral replication strategy and to develop a greater understanding of the relationships between hepadnaviruses and retroviruses. The formation of dimers will also provide a mechanism for recombination between HBV strains.Read moreRead less
I am a molecular and cellular biologist with particular interest in understanding the regulation of DNA damage surveillance pathway and its role in the maintenance of genome stability.
As women age, the quality of their eggs decline and their chance of having a healthy baby plummets. The accumulation of DNA damage within the egg, and the reduced ability to repair this damage, may be one cause of compromised reproductive success in older women. This project will investigate the ability of eggs to repair DNA damage during maternal aging and will explore the importance of DNA repair to fertility and the transmission of high quality genetic material to their offspring.
Examining The Importance Of DNA Damage Repair For Oocyte Quality, Female Fertility And Offspring Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
As women age, the quality of their eggs decline and their chance of having a healthy baby plummets. The accumulation of DNA damage within the egg, and the reduced ability to repair this damage, may be one cause of compromised reproductive success in older women. This project will investigate the ability of eggs to repair DNA damage during maternal aging and will explore the importance of DNA repair to fertility and the transmission of high quality genetic material to their offspring.
Application Of New Technologies And Methods In Nutrition Research – The Example Of Phenotypic Flexibility
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$210,823.00
Summary
The aim of the Nutritech project is to develop better diagnostics of the effect of foods and dietary supplements on the health of an individual. NutriTech will develop new analytical technologies to comprehensively investigate the diet-health interrelationship and critically assess their usefulness for the future of nutrition research. A new automated method for measuring the effect of diet on multiple measures of DNA damage and nutrients in single cells will be developed at CSIRO.
The Role Of Nuclear Architecture In The DNA Damage Response
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$561,966.00
Summary
The goal of the proposed research is to understand how dynamic changes to the chromatin genome packaging network, interact with the DNA damage response and gene expression machinery, to repair damaged DNA and the impact this has on cancer biology. To do so we are combining cutting edge molecular biology techniques with innovative novel microscopy methods developed by our research team, that far exceed the spatiotemporal resolution currently used to study chromatin biology.
Investigation Into The Roles Of Ena/VASP-Like And Protein Phosphatase 4C In DNA Damage Repair Via Homologous Recombination
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$57,139.00
Summary
The repair of DNA damage is a critical cellular mechanism that exists to ensure genomic stability. This project aims to investigate the role of the proteins Ena/VASP-Like and Protein Phosphatase 4C in DNA damage repair via homologous recombination. The DNA damage response pathway is an important area in the study of cancer and ageing, and the potential role of PP4C and EVL in homologous recombination needs to be investigated further.