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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$441,100.00
Summary
Developmental Imaging Facility. This application seeks to establish a facility to undertake expression profiling in vertebrate tissues on a genomic scale and at the highest resolution. Undertaking large scale projects of this nature requires specialised robotics and dedicated infrastructure for microscopy and tissue preparation. This facility will be the first of its type in Australia will permit researchers to perform genomic scale in situ screens, many as part of large international initiative ....Developmental Imaging Facility. This application seeks to establish a facility to undertake expression profiling in vertebrate tissues on a genomic scale and at the highest resolution. Undertaking large scale projects of this nature requires specialised robotics and dedicated infrastructure for microscopy and tissue preparation. This facility will be the first of its type in Australia will permit researchers to perform genomic scale in situ screens, many as part of large international initiatives in developmental and cellular biology. This large-scale, high-resolution expression profiling infrastructure is required to maintain international competitiveness and will dramatically improve our gene discovery, functional assessment and understanding of vertebrate development.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
Identifying the diversity and evolution of loci associated with adaptation to aridity/heat and salinity in ancient cereal crops. This project will use ancient grains of wheat, barley and rye to find 'lost' genetic diversity at key genes associated with resistance to aridity, salt and disease. This project will make the proteins of key genes, and study their interaction with the environment over time by measuring ions in the grains to reveal the ancient environmental conditions.
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
Identification of Traits and Function by Genomic Matching. Differences between individuals are largely inherited and therefore encoded within the DNA. The challenge is to develop practical means of detecting these differences irrespective of whether they are observable as a phenotype.
Here we focus on livestock. For example, most Australian cattle are horned rather than polled. The inheritance is relatively simple but there is still no DNA test to detect the recessive horning gene.
T ....Identification of Traits and Function by Genomic Matching. Differences between individuals are largely inherited and therefore encoded within the DNA. The challenge is to develop practical means of detecting these differences irrespective of whether they are observable as a phenotype.
Here we focus on livestock. For example, most Australian cattle are horned rather than polled. The inheritance is relatively simple but there is still no DNA test to detect the recessive horning gene.
The genomic matching technique is an in-house patented procedure for identifying such DNA differences. If successful, our test will assist industry to eliminate horning and thereby painful dehorning whilst reducing damage to workers and product.
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Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354745
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
International Network for Genomics of the Root-Soil Interface (INGORSI). INGORSI brings together a new group of leading Australian and International researchers with common interests in the application of bioinformatics and genomics to understanding the root-soil interface, particularly the microbiology of this interface. The Network will communicate via a novel ?virtual? seminar room, with a research focus on molecular signals between organisms and plants of the rhizosphere that promote or pre ....International Network for Genomics of the Root-Soil Interface (INGORSI). INGORSI brings together a new group of leading Australian and International researchers with common interests in the application of bioinformatics and genomics to understanding the root-soil interface, particularly the microbiology of this interface. The Network will communicate via a novel ?virtual? seminar room, with a research focus on molecular signals between organisms and plants of the rhizosphere that promote or prevent plant growth, and also potentially impact human health. The network will facilitate high quality basic science, with linked programs that promote its application, to produce outcomes of benefit to plant crops, human health and sustainable agriculture.Read moreRead less