ARC Centre of Excellence - In Plant Energy Biology (CPEB). Plant cell metabolism underlies the synthesis of important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Research in CPEB will focus on control of this metabolism. Its expertise will enhance Australia's participation in major international research efforts directly relevant to sustainable agriculture in a country with fragile/ ....ARC Centre of Excellence - In Plant Energy Biology (CPEB). Plant cell metabolism underlies the synthesis of important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Research in CPEB will focus on control of this metabolism. Its expertise will enhance Australia's participation in major international research efforts directly relevant to sustainable agriculture in a country with fragile/degrading ecosystems. The research will provide new approaches for enhancing quality metabolite traits important for human health. It will further strengthen our international leadership in plant energy science, and will strengthen Australia's research training in systems biology to influence plant function.Read moreRead less
The metabolic and enzymatic regulation of C4 photosynthesis and its impact on photosynthetic productivity. Australia's tropical pastures are dominated by plants utilising the C4 photosynthetic pathway. World wide C4 grasslands contribute to approximately 20% of global primary productivity. C4 plants also include important crop species such as maize, sorghum and sugar cane and are considered ideal species for bio-fuel production. This project will use a novel functional genomic/metabolomics appro ....The metabolic and enzymatic regulation of C4 photosynthesis and its impact on photosynthetic productivity. Australia's tropical pastures are dominated by plants utilising the C4 photosynthetic pathway. World wide C4 grasslands contribute to approximately 20% of global primary productivity. C4 plants also include important crop species such as maize, sorghum and sugar cane and are considered ideal species for bio-fuel production. This project will use a novel functional genomic/metabolomics approach to provide fundamental insights into the biochemical regulation of C4 photosynthesis under different environmental conditions. This will aid in the development of mathematical models of C4 photosynthesis required in climate models of CO2 exchange and enhance our ability to improve photosynthetic performance of agricultural species.Read moreRead less
How do nano-molecular carboxysome protein structures function in alpha and beta-cyanobacteria and can we use them for novel reaction compartmentalisation? In blue-green algae, protein nano-structures, known as carboxysomes, act as tiny compartments where carbon dioxide (CO2) can be fixed into simple sugars at high efficiency. This important photosynthetic process forms the basis of global primary productivity on this planet, but most land-based CO2 fixation lacks the efficiency seen in blue-gree ....How do nano-molecular carboxysome protein structures function in alpha and beta-cyanobacteria and can we use them for novel reaction compartmentalisation? In blue-green algae, protein nano-structures, known as carboxysomes, act as tiny compartments where carbon dioxide (CO2) can be fixed into simple sugars at high efficiency. This important photosynthetic process forms the basis of global primary productivity on this planet, but most land-based CO2 fixation lacks the efficiency seen in blue-greens. This research aims to determine how the proteins that make up carboxysomes are 3-dimensionally arranged and how these structures function to enhance rates of CO2 fixation. A more thorough understanding of the carboxysome is likely to have potential applications in industrial nano-technology and improve our understanding of oceanic primary productivity.Read moreRead less
REdefining metabolic Schemes and Pathways In plant leaf REspiration. Leaf respiration-related metabolism in terrestrial vegetation liberates considerable amounts of carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide into the atmosphere. Such gaseous losses are detrimental to biomass production but respiration also sustains nutrient assimilation and biosyntheses. This project aims to describe flux patterns in respiratory metabolism and disentangle interactions with other pathways such as photorespirat ....REdefining metabolic Schemes and Pathways In plant leaf REspiration. Leaf respiration-related metabolism in terrestrial vegetation liberates considerable amounts of carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide into the atmosphere. Such gaseous losses are detrimental to biomass production but respiration also sustains nutrient assimilation and biosyntheses. This project aims to describe flux patterns in respiratory metabolism and disentangle interactions with other pathways such as photorespiration and nitrogen assimilation. It will exploit stable isotopes to quantify metabolic partitioning and show coordination between major processes. It will establish key mechanisms by which respiration dictates plant carbon balance and contributes to identifying metabolic bottle-necks in plant primary production.Read moreRead less
Identifying genes controlling the regulatory and metabolic interactions between the energy organelles of the leaf. Plant energy metabolism underlies the synthesis of many important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance key plant traits, such as germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Furthering our understanding on the complex interplay of genes controlling energy metabolism and its impact on leaf function has potent ....Identifying genes controlling the regulatory and metabolic interactions between the energy organelles of the leaf. Plant energy metabolism underlies the synthesis of many important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance key plant traits, such as germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Furthering our understanding on the complex interplay of genes controlling energy metabolism and its impact on leaf function has potential outcomes for smart genetic manipulation either by classical breeding or genetic transformation. There are more than 10,000 genes of unknown function in plant genomes and this represents a tremendous untapped resource for future Australian R&D outcomes and insights from this research proposal will have application to all plant-based agriculture.Read moreRead less