RNA-binding proteins rewire transcriptomes in immune cell differentiation. This project aims to combine advanced computational and experimental techniques to investigate a new layer of gene regulation by novel RNA binding proteins (RBP) which control messenger RNA length in immune cells. This project expects to demonstrate that these RBPs have a profound effect on immune cell differentiation and response to infection. Expected outcomes include the discovery of new RBPs regulating immunity, with ....RNA-binding proteins rewire transcriptomes in immune cell differentiation. This project aims to combine advanced computational and experimental techniques to investigate a new layer of gene regulation by novel RNA binding proteins (RBP) which control messenger RNA length in immune cells. This project expects to demonstrate that these RBPs have a profound effect on immune cell differentiation and response to infection. Expected outcomes include the discovery of new RBPs regulating immunity, with mechanism and function determined by novel CRISPR editing of a transgenic mouse model. The significant benefit will be a more complete understanding of RNA mechanisms of immune response, which will be critical in informing future advances in the rapidly developing areas of RNA-based biotechnologies and synthetic immunology.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100705
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$462,948.00
Summary
Decoding the enigmatic biology of human gamma-delta T cells. The immune system surveys our body examining molecules that signal whether or not everything is ok. T cells are a central to this and use their receptors to monitor these molecular signals. A specialised subset of T cells known as gamma-delta T cells are critical to detecting infection and cancer, yet their fundamental biology is poorly understood. This project aims to unravel this elusive biology. The aims are to understand 1. The div ....Decoding the enigmatic biology of human gamma-delta T cells. The immune system surveys our body examining molecules that signal whether or not everything is ok. T cells are a central to this and use their receptors to monitor these molecular signals. A specialised subset of T cells known as gamma-delta T cells are critical to detecting infection and cancer, yet their fundamental biology is poorly understood. This project aims to unravel this elusive biology. The aims are to understand 1. The diversity in function between gamma-delta T cell subsets, and 2. The diversity in gamma-delta T cell receptors and the molecules that these receptors detect. This work is essential for understanding gamma-delta T cell immunology which is critical if we ultimately wish to harness this to improve human health.Read moreRead less
Epigenetic regulation of immune memory. Immune memory cells emerge from the dynamic and transient immune response to deliver two critical abilities: to produce rapid recall responses upon reinfection but also to persist for decades. This project aims to define how the polycomb repressive complexes regulate immune cell fate, by utilising cutting-edge cell and chromatin biology techniques coupled with bioinformatic pipelines. Expected outcomes of the proposed research include key insights into epi ....Epigenetic regulation of immune memory. Immune memory cells emerge from the dynamic and transient immune response to deliver two critical abilities: to produce rapid recall responses upon reinfection but also to persist for decades. This project aims to define how the polycomb repressive complexes regulate immune cell fate, by utilising cutting-edge cell and chromatin biology techniques coupled with bioinformatic pipelines. Expected outcomes of the proposed research include key insights into epigenetic programming required for immune cell differentiation and longevity. This should provide significant benefits such as knowledge creation that may lead to development of technology that reprograms cell behaviour, and contribution to Australian research recognition and capacity.Read moreRead less