Epigenetic reprogramming of development by nutritional factors in honeybee. The project aims to study the mechanism by which a specialised nutrition can change or even reverse the process of adult cell fate. The project will use a previously unexplored method of nutritional reprogramming of imaginal discs in honeybees by royal jelly and identify novel components of both the genetic and epigenetic systems that are most potent as reprogramming factors. The project seeks to improve our understandin ....Epigenetic reprogramming of development by nutritional factors in honeybee. The project aims to study the mechanism by which a specialised nutrition can change or even reverse the process of adult cell fate. The project will use a previously unexplored method of nutritional reprogramming of imaginal discs in honeybees by royal jelly and identify novel components of both the genetic and epigenetic systems that are most potent as reprogramming factors. The project seeks to improve our understanding of how epigenetic remodelling of the information content of the genome contributes to conversion of cell fate in vivo and in vitro. More broadly, the project could potentially establish the honeybee imaginal discs as a model for understanding pluripotency and environmentally controlled developmental plasticity.Read moreRead less
Genetic control of tissue growth in animals. This project aims to understand how the animal body grows. This project expects to generate new knowledge and understanding of the genetic programs that govern the size and shape of animal tissues, through use of cutting-edge genome editing approaches in laboratory animals. Expected outcomes of this project include the production of genetically engineered animals with altered tissue growth, development of new theories for how tissue growth is normal ....Genetic control of tissue growth in animals. This project aims to understand how the animal body grows. This project expects to generate new knowledge and understanding of the genetic programs that govern the size and shape of animal tissues, through use of cutting-edge genome editing approaches in laboratory animals. Expected outcomes of this project include the production of genetically engineered animals with altered tissue growth, development of new theories for how tissue growth is normally controlled and how it can be manipulated industrially. This should provide significant benefits, impacting stem cell biology (improving stem cell production), tissue engineering (improving growth of artificial tissues), veterinary science and agriculture (improving productivity).Read moreRead less