Marsupial germ cells and genes. Germ cells are the most fascinating cells in the body, since theirs is the unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation. Studies in mice have suggested that position in the embryo determines their origin, but the early embryology of the mouse is so different from that of other mammals that the events need confirming and extending in another species. The simplified embryology of the tammar wallaby makes it ideal for studying one of the ....Marsupial germ cells and genes. Germ cells are the most fascinating cells in the body, since theirs is the unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation. Studies in mice have suggested that position in the embryo determines their origin, but the early embryology of the mouse is so different from that of other mammals that the events need confirming and extending in another species. The simplified embryology of the tammar wallaby makes it ideal for studying one of the most fundamental questions in the whole of biology: what is the basis for the primal distinction between sex and soma?Read moreRead less
A shared genetic basis for development of the nervous system and glands. Fruit flies possess strikingly similar versions of the genes that promote normal human development. The list of systems with genetic parallels between humans and fruit flies includes the respiratory and circulatory systems; cardiovascular development and disease; sleep; learning and memory; brain development and disease; taste, sight, smell and hearing. This project could add at least some human glands, the mucous-secreting ....A shared genetic basis for development of the nervous system and glands. Fruit flies possess strikingly similar versions of the genes that promote normal human development. The list of systems with genetic parallels between humans and fruit flies includes the respiratory and circulatory systems; cardiovascular development and disease; sleep; learning and memory; brain development and disease; taste, sight, smell and hearing. This project could add at least some human glands, the mucous-secreting goblet cells, to this list, providing a potentially useful model for studying human diseases associated with gland dysfunction. Read moreRead less
Evolution of diverse symbiotic phenotypes among native soil bacteria following spread of a genomic island from a rhizobial inoculant. The quality of legume protein depends on symbiotic nitrogen fixation by root nodule bacteria (RNB). Sustainable legume production in Australian agriculture depends on legume inoculation with effective strains of these bacteria. Unfortunately inoculant strains transfer DNA to other soil bacteria resulting in soil populations of RNB that compete for nodulation but a ....Evolution of diverse symbiotic phenotypes among native soil bacteria following spread of a genomic island from a rhizobial inoculant. The quality of legume protein depends on symbiotic nitrogen fixation by root nodule bacteria (RNB). Sustainable legume production in Australian agriculture depends on legume inoculation with effective strains of these bacteria. Unfortunately inoculant strains transfer DNA to other soil bacteria resulting in soil populations of RNB that compete for nodulation but are less effective in nitrogen fixation. This transfer of DNA threatens a $2 billion asset in Australian agriculture. We will use molecular microbial ecology to investigate the mechanisms of genetic transfer of symbiotic DNA in RNB, and use this knowledge to prevent it.Read moreRead less
Rapid mapping of genes for complex traits. This project will develop a new resource that will allow rapid identification of genes controlling complex traits. This world-leading resource will improve knowledge of diseases like diabetes and neurological diseases.
Evolution and the immune system: genetic differences in immune response between human populations due to adaptation to living in different geo-climatic locations. The project, which investigates the genetics of inter-population differences in immune response, will lead to advances in immunology and population genetics research, explain present population specific differences in disease incidence and possibly forecast future population trends of diseases such as asthma and allergy. The study will ....Evolution and the immune system: genetic differences in immune response between human populations due to adaptation to living in different geo-climatic locations. The project, which investigates the genetics of inter-population differences in immune response, will lead to advances in immunology and population genetics research, explain present population specific differences in disease incidence and possibly forecast future population trends of diseases such as asthma and allergy. The study will strengthen ties with collaborators around the world, thus promoting excellence in Australian research and gain Australia prestige in the international community as a country that produces research of global significance. Understanding the immune system's 'recent evolutionary roots' has implications for the health of Australians, especially in light of Australia's increasingly multi-ethnic background.Read moreRead less
Testing the costs and benefits of gene flow. The mixing of individuals from different populations has traditionally been viewed as beneficial because it maintains genetic variation and offsets the deleterious effects of inbreeding. However, this practice can also have detrimental effects on the fitness of populations. In this project field and laboratory experiments will test whether the benefits gained by mixing of individuals from different populations outweigh the costs or vice versa. In add ....Testing the costs and benefits of gene flow. The mixing of individuals from different populations has traditionally been viewed as beneficial because it maintains genetic variation and offsets the deleterious effects of inbreeding. However, this practice can also have detrimental effects on the fitness of populations. In this project field and laboratory experiments will test whether the benefits gained by mixing of individuals from different populations outweigh the costs or vice versa. In addition to providing information essential for the management of endangered species, the results will provide valuable insights on the processes that determine species' ranges and how new species evolve.Read moreRead less
Population dynamics and genetic variation of plants with contrasting fire responses. We combine the traditional concerns of population viability analyses with the modern techniques of DNA fingerprinting for precise genotyping of individual plants and their seeds. We expect major breakthroughs in our understanding of how fire-killed species have survived thousands of years of frequent burning by Aborigines (by identifying seeds dispersed long distances from burnt parents); how paternity of offspr ....Population dynamics and genetic variation of plants with contrasting fire responses. We combine the traditional concerns of population viability analyses with the modern techniques of DNA fingerprinting for precise genotyping of individual plants and their seeds. We expect major breakthroughs in our understanding of how fire-killed species have survived thousands of years of frequent burning by Aborigines (by identifying seeds dispersed long distances from burnt parents); how paternity of offspring changes over the lifespan of plants which retain their seeds for many years; at what age within-plant genetic variation is at a maximum as a guide to optimal fire management; and the extent that deleterious somatic mutations explain low seed set among long-lived species.Read moreRead less
Australian Heritage: constructing the first Aboriginal reference genome. This project aims to use DNA sequencing technologies to generate the first complete and accurate Aboriginal genomes, along with maps of genomic variation around Australia. It will combine a range of advanced analytical methods to integrate past and present indigenous genetic diversity from human populations around the world into a new pan-human reference genome. This project will lead to a step change in our understanding o ....Australian Heritage: constructing the first Aboriginal reference genome. This project aims to use DNA sequencing technologies to generate the first complete and accurate Aboriginal genomes, along with maps of genomic variation around Australia. It will combine a range of advanced analytical methods to integrate past and present indigenous genetic diversity from human populations around the world into a new pan-human reference genome. This project will lead to a step change in our understanding of global human genomic variants and provide a range of new targets relevant to medical biology, while significantly improving our knowledge of human genetic history and its consequences in the modern day.Read moreRead less
Adaptation to life in the dark: genomic analyses of blind beetles. This project aims to utilise a unique Australian model system based on multiple, independently-evolved subterranean water beetles to explore the adaptive and regressive changes in the genome that occur when surface species colonise subterranean habitats. This project focuses on the evolution of Heat Shock protein (Hsp) genes that play critical roles in adaptation to environmental stress and the process of de-canalisation, the rel ....Adaptation to life in the dark: genomic analyses of blind beetles. This project aims to utilise a unique Australian model system based on multiple, independently-evolved subterranean water beetles to explore the adaptive and regressive changes in the genome that occur when surface species colonise subterranean habitats. This project focuses on the evolution of Heat Shock protein (Hsp) genes that play critical roles in adaptation to environmental stress and the process of de-canalisation, the release of cryptic genetic variation that can allow novel morphologies to evolve in new environments. The project expects to provide further understanding of how species may potentially adapt to environmental stresses in the future, including climate change.Read moreRead less
Is regressive evolution associated with loss of gene function in subterranean animals? This project aims to investigate a fundamental biological process: the evolutionary basis for how non-functional characters, such as eyes in subterranean animals, are lost. It will use a unique model system based on eyeless water beetles, and utilise novel new genomic tools to test whether loss of characters results from gene inactivation.