The basis of recognition and disposal of dysfunctional proteins by clusterin. When proteins become damaged they can precipitate. A blood protein called clusterin prevents precipitation of damaged proteins. Clusterin does this by forming complexes with the damaged proteins. Clusterin is the first blood protein known to do this. We will discover which parts of clusterin are responsible for this activity. We will also discover whether cells can take up and dispose of the complexes of clusterin and ....The basis of recognition and disposal of dysfunctional proteins by clusterin. When proteins become damaged they can precipitate. A blood protein called clusterin prevents precipitation of damaged proteins. Clusterin does this by forming complexes with the damaged proteins. Clusterin is the first blood protein known to do this. We will discover which parts of clusterin are responsible for this activity. We will also discover whether cells can take up and dispose of the complexes of clusterin and damaged proteins. This work is important because some diseases (eg, Alzheimers disease) involve the toxic effects of abnormal protein precipitation. Understanding how clusterin works may help in developing better treatments for these diseases.Read moreRead less
Identifying novel roles of disease-related proteins in the regulation of exocytosis and nervous communication. This research aims to identify new molecules involved in regulating nerve communication and hormone secretion and which are relevent to human diseases and conditions including Type 2 Diabetes, Down Syndrome, Alzheimer's Disease and Huntington's Disease. The findings may provide new targets in the treatments of such conditions. This research is therefore of special relevance to National ....Identifying novel roles of disease-related proteins in the regulation of exocytosis and nervous communication. This research aims to identify new molecules involved in regulating nerve communication and hormone secretion and which are relevent to human diseases and conditions including Type 2 Diabetes, Down Syndrome, Alzheimer's Disease and Huntington's Disease. The findings may provide new targets in the treatments of such conditions. This research is therefore of special relevance to National Research Priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and especially to the sub-areas of this Research Priority 2: Ageing well, ageing productively and Preventative healthcare.Read moreRead less
Small heat-shock molecular chaperone proteins and amyloid fibrils. This proposal addresses the fundamental mechanisms of protein aggregation associated with debilitating age-related diseases, e.g. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cataract, and the prevention of aggregation via the action of a group of molecular chaperone proteins known as small heat-shock proteins. With the ageing population, the prevalence of these diseases will increase significantly over the next 20 years. Understanding and treat ....Small heat-shock molecular chaperone proteins and amyloid fibrils. This proposal addresses the fundamental mechanisms of protein aggregation associated with debilitating age-related diseases, e.g. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cataract, and the prevention of aggregation via the action of a group of molecular chaperone proteins known as small heat-shock proteins. With the ageing population, the prevalence of these diseases will increase significantly over the next 20 years. Understanding and treating these diseases will therefore have significant long-term health benefits. Furthermore, the highly structured protein aggregates that form as hallmarks of many of these diseases have potential wide ranging applications in the emerging field of bionanotechnology, e.g. as nanowires and biofilms.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100010
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$720,000.00
Summary
A 5-D Correlative Imaging Platform: Combining the strengths of light and electron microscopy. This will be Australia's first dedicated five-dimensional multiphoton-microscopy platform, allowing observation of dynamic structures across different length and time scales under controlled temperatures, followed by high-resolution electron microscopy studies on the same samples. This platform will provide a unique characterisation tool to Australia's top-flight investigators, and so contribute to the ....A 5-D Correlative Imaging Platform: Combining the strengths of light and electron microscopy. This will be Australia's first dedicated five-dimensional multiphoton-microscopy platform, allowing observation of dynamic structures across different length and time scales under controlled temperatures, followed by high-resolution electron microscopy studies on the same samples. This platform will provide a unique characterisation tool to Australia's top-flight investigators, and so contribute to the nation's research priorities. It will enable: fundamental studies of cancer, neural diseases and immune disorders; the development of frontier technologies, such as smart nanomaterials, biosensors and targeted drug delivery; and applied research to help plants and soils adapt to climate variability, and to increase sustainable use of water.Read moreRead less