Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101117
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$327,000.00
Summary
The functional impact of new genes acquired through retrotransposition. Novel copies of genes often arise through retrotransposition of processed messenger RNAs. Many thousands of gene copies have arisen over evolutionary time and some of these have retained functionality while diverging from the parental gene leading to new paralogs under different regulatory regimes. Through analysis of whole-genome sequence data, we are now able to identify very recent gene copies that are not present in the ....The functional impact of new genes acquired through retrotransposition. Novel copies of genes often arise through retrotransposition of processed messenger RNAs. Many thousands of gene copies have arisen over evolutionary time and some of these have retained functionality while diverging from the parental gene leading to new paralogs under different regulatory regimes. Through analysis of whole-genome sequence data, we are now able to identify very recent gene copies that are not present in the reference genomes for various species, giving us the opportunity to explore the effects of new copies on the regulation of the original gene and the surrounding genomic environment into which the new copy is inserted. This project aims to address these important open questions through computational and biochemical approaches.Read moreRead less
Cellular determinants of retrotransposition. This project aims to understand the processes that control retrotransposition in a genome. Transposable elements make up more than 50% of human genomes. The accumulation of retrotransposons through millions of years of evolution has shaped the genomes of all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Researchers have elucidated mechanisms the host uses to defend the genome against insertional mutagenesis by retrotransposons, but the cellular machinery an ....Cellular determinants of retrotransposition. This project aims to understand the processes that control retrotransposition in a genome. Transposable elements make up more than 50% of human genomes. The accumulation of retrotransposons through millions of years of evolution has shaped the genomes of all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Researchers have elucidated mechanisms the host uses to defend the genome against insertional mutagenesis by retrotransposons, but the cellular machinery and genomic environments needed for retrotransposition are undefined. This project aims to use models to uncover the mechanisms that control retrotransposition. This is expected to reveal more about human origins.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Wall Biology. The ARC Centre for Plant Cell Wall Biology will define the regulatory mechanisms that control molecular, enzymic and cellular processes involved in the synthesis, deposition, re-modelling and depolymerisation of cell wall polysaccharides of cereals and grasses. Plant cell walls represent the world's largest renewable carbon resource, but the regulatory mechanisms responsible for their synthesis and assembly are not understood. Key distinguishi ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Wall Biology. The ARC Centre for Plant Cell Wall Biology will define the regulatory mechanisms that control molecular, enzymic and cellular processes involved in the synthesis, deposition, re-modelling and depolymerisation of cell wall polysaccharides of cereals and grasses. Plant cell walls represent the world's largest renewable carbon resource, but the regulatory mechanisms responsible for their synthesis and assembly are not understood. Key distinguishing features of the Centre will be the international, integrative, and multidisciplinary approach towards addressing major questions in plant biology, its strategy to leverage ARC funding, and its linkages with potential national and international end-users of the fundamental scientific discoveries.Read moreRead less
Understanding specificity and flexibility in coral symbioses. This project aims to understand why some corals can switch algal partners while others remain faithful to a single strain. This is important because corals depend on their symbiotic algal partners for survival and because some algae provide greater resilience to environmental stress than others. This project will greatly enhance our understanding of the molecular and physiological factors governing flexibility and specificity in coral ....Understanding specificity and flexibility in coral symbioses. This project aims to understand why some corals can switch algal partners while others remain faithful to a single strain. This is important because corals depend on their symbiotic algal partners for survival and because some algae provide greater resilience to environmental stress than others. This project will greatly enhance our understanding of the molecular and physiological factors governing flexibility and specificity in coral-algal symbioses. It will provide much-needed knowledge required to identify associations most appropriate for specific conditions, prioritise populations for conservation, and assess the feasibility of new approaches to managing and restoring coral reefs.
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Evolution and function of fragmented animal mitochondrial genomes. This project will reveal why animal mitochondrial genomes are in pieces, and how fragmented mitochondrial genomes evolve and function. This project will discover whether or not fragmented mitochondrial genomes have functional advantages. Knowledge generated from this project will lead to new approaches to mitochondrial genetic diseases in humans.
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL110100044
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,001,626.00
Summary
Origin, evolution and roles of cardinal genomic features underpinning animal multicellular complexity. As the first genome project from our oceans, the sea sponge Amphimedon heralds a new era of marine science for Australia. Using post-genomic approaches, this project will show how studying marine organisms can produce the most fundamental insights into not only multicellular life but also into human diseases and cancer that originally evolved from our oceans.
Breaking the nexus: more biomass in cereal grain. Grain yield is controlled by complex, regulated genetic networks or quantitative trait loci (QTLs) derived from natural variations in many crop plants. Yield is a product of the three major parameters: panicle number, grain number and grain size, trade-offs are commonly observed between grain number and size. There is evidence to suggest it is possible to improve grain size without altering overall biomass. With the genomic and genetic resource t ....Breaking the nexus: more biomass in cereal grain. Grain yield is controlled by complex, regulated genetic networks or quantitative trait loci (QTLs) derived from natural variations in many crop plants. Yield is a product of the three major parameters: panicle number, grain number and grain size, trade-offs are commonly observed between grain number and size. There is evidence to suggest it is possible to improve grain size without altering overall biomass. With the genomic and genetic resource tools at hand. This project will elucidate the genetic architecture of grain size, and manipulate the key loci to generate more biomass in the grain, minimising or eliminating the adverse impact on seed number. This will maximise harvestable yield without imposing increased demand for water and nutrients.Read moreRead less
Genomics of temperature response in plants. Climate change is predicted to have negative impacts on Australian agriculture. This project will use genomic tools to uncover biological mechanisms for plant response to temperature that will help design crop varieties that are more tolerant to higher temperatures.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100151
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Enhancing resistance to wheat stripe rust disease. This project aims to investigate why wheat succumbs to stripe rust fungus, a grave threat to global wheat production. Wheat is the primary agricultural and revenue crop of Australia, cultivated since early European settlement. Severe disease epidemics arise when the fast evolving rust pathogen breaks down host plant genetic resistance. This project will investigate the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen recognition and the consequences of pat ....Enhancing resistance to wheat stripe rust disease. This project aims to investigate why wheat succumbs to stripe rust fungus, a grave threat to global wheat production. Wheat is the primary agricultural and revenue crop of Australia, cultivated since early European settlement. Severe disease epidemics arise when the fast evolving rust pathogen breaks down host plant genetic resistance. This project will investigate the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen recognition and the consequences of pathogen variation to determine the causes of resistance breakdown. The expected outcome is robust rust-resistant wheat cultivars to maintain global food security.Read moreRead less
TraitCapture: Genomic modelling for plant phenomics under environmental stress. This project aims to develop software to integrate new hyper-spectral and 3D growth models of plant phenomics with population genomics to identify heritable developmental traits across varied environments. Genome wide association studies aim to then be used to identify causal genes. Functional structural plant models incorporating genetic variation will be used to predict growth under simulated stress environments. ....TraitCapture: Genomic modelling for plant phenomics under environmental stress. This project aims to develop software to integrate new hyper-spectral and 3D growth models of plant phenomics with population genomics to identify heritable developmental traits across varied environments. Genome wide association studies aim to then be used to identify causal genes. Functional structural plant models incorporating genetic variation will be used to predict growth under simulated stress environments. The research team unites international industry, the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, and university statistical geneticists. TraitCapture software will use open standards applicable to both controlled and field environments enabling plant breeders to pre-select adaptive traits to increase crop productivity under environmental stress.Read moreRead less