Regulators of protein translation reveal new pathways to plant productivity. This proposal aims to make transformative insights into the control of photosynthetic protein production. Photosynthesis is a key target for crop improvement that can address global food security. Improving photosynthesis requires precision control of photosynthetic proteins. It was unknown how this is achieved at the level of protein production. Excitingly, the team discovered how cellular protein production changes in ....Regulators of protein translation reveal new pathways to plant productivity. This proposal aims to make transformative insights into the control of photosynthetic protein production. Photosynthesis is a key target for crop improvement that can address global food security. Improving photosynthesis requires precision control of photosynthetic proteins. It was unknown how this is achieved at the level of protein production. Excitingly, the team discovered how cellular protein production changes in response to photosynthetic demand. The project strives to uncover how clusters of RNAs are decayed or translated into new proteins based on RNA features and linked binding proteins. This will allow manipulation of the accumulation of target proteins towards the goal of revealing unexplored ways to improve photosynthesis.Read moreRead less
Mediator: a new concept for controlled gene expression in plant biotechnology. The Mediator protein complex is a new control point for the activation of all genes in higher organisms and the purpose of this project is to understand how three Mediator subunits regulate disease resistance in plants. The outcomes provide a new concept to direct natural gene expression towards robust crop plants able to cope with climatic variations.
Molecular analysis of photosynthetically-linked, active CO2 uptake and CO2 signal transduction by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) have evolved a very efficient means of capturing and concentrating CO2 for photosynthetic fixation into sugars, the basic building blocks for cell growth. This process is dependent on the operation of several unique, active uptake systems for CO2 and HCO3-, with their genetic expression regulated by CO2 supply. This proposal will cap ....Molecular analysis of photosynthetically-linked, active CO2 uptake and CO2 signal transduction by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) have evolved a very efficient means of capturing and concentrating CO2 for photosynthetic fixation into sugars, the basic building blocks for cell growth. This process is dependent on the operation of several unique, active uptake systems for CO2 and HCO3-, with their genetic expression regulated by CO2 supply. This proposal will capitalize on our progress in describing the functional genetics of this process and aims to elucidate the mechanism of active CO2 uptake and the way that cells sense the ambient CO2 concentration. The information gained is likely to be useful for designing improved crops.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989071
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,000.00
Summary
Phytosphere: new facilities for controlled manipulation of effects of climate change & airborne pollutants on disease epidemiology & plant performance. Western Australia is home to a range of world-leading plant science research groups. Establishing a world-class multi-purpose phytosphere facility in WA will enable these groups to remain at the forefront of their research fields and continue to attract high-profile international scientists and students. Such a facility will result in significant ....Phytosphere: new facilities for controlled manipulation of effects of climate change & airborne pollutants on disease epidemiology & plant performance. Western Australia is home to a range of world-leading plant science research groups. Establishing a world-class multi-purpose phytosphere facility in WA will enable these groups to remain at the forefront of their research fields and continue to attract high-profile international scientists and students. Such a facility will result in significant advancement of our understanding of the impact of climate change on plants through biotic stresses (e.g., disease epidemiology, plant-pathogen interactions) and in interaction with abiotic variables (e.g., CO2 concentrations, temperature, light intensity, humidity, moisture stress, airborne pollutants such as SO2), and allow crop yield optimisation in future environments.Read moreRead less
Physiological and molecular controls of plant transpiration efficiency: investigating the role of the ERECTA gene. Water is the single most limiting factor in agriculture and the world's supply of fresh water is diminishing, the greatest fraction of total water use being by agriculture. Progress in water-use efficiency will have social value, and this program should help us to achieve it. Our progress in this area is already one of the most successful of 'bottom-up' approaches - in the sense of ....Physiological and molecular controls of plant transpiration efficiency: investigating the role of the ERECTA gene. Water is the single most limiting factor in agriculture and the world's supply of fresh water is diminishing, the greatest fraction of total water use being by agriculture. Progress in water-use efficiency will have social value, and this program should help us to achieve it. Our progress in this area is already one of the most successful of 'bottom-up' approaches - in the sense of transferring knowledge from biochemistry and biophysics to breeding and agronomy, as CSIRO now has a successful wheat breeding program based on this earlier work of ours. Now that we have discovered a gene that controls water-use efficiency at the leaf level, we wish to see how the gene works, and how it affects mineral nutrition of leaves.Read moreRead less
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
New functions for bioactive flavonoids in plants and mammals. We have discovered natural products with biological activity in plants and mammals. These molecules affect plant shape and development and the process of mammalian blood vessel formation. We seek to understand how these molecules work. More understanding is required before one can begin to utilise these molecules for possible beneficial agriculture or human health outcomes. Plant shape influences such things as yield or more drought-r ....New functions for bioactive flavonoids in plants and mammals. We have discovered natural products with biological activity in plants and mammals. These molecules affect plant shape and development and the process of mammalian blood vessel formation. We seek to understand how these molecules work. More understanding is required before one can begin to utilise these molecules for possible beneficial agriculture or human health outcomes. Plant shape influences such things as yield or more drought-resilient root systems. Importantly, we have discovered specific molecules that either promote or inhibit blood vessel formation. A better understanding of how these molecules work could lead to novel treatments for cancer or cardiovascular disease.Read moreRead less