Cultivating numerically significant soil bacteria. The vast majority of soil bacteria have not been able to be studied in the laboratory because they cannot be grown outside the soil. They are therefore termed unculturable. Most of these belong to groups that are completely unstudied. Advances made in the Janssen lab have overcome this impediment to laboratory cultivation of numerically abundant and globally distributed soil bacteria. This project will develop these advances to generate simple a ....Cultivating numerically significant soil bacteria. The vast majority of soil bacteria have not been able to be studied in the laboratory because they cannot be grown outside the soil. They are therefore termed unculturable. Most of these belong to groups that are completely unstudied. Advances made in the Janssen lab have overcome this impediment to laboratory cultivation of numerically abundant and globally distributed soil bacteria. This project will develop these advances to generate simple and widely applicable methods to enable many of the previously unculturable soil bacteria to be studied. This will allow assessments of their ecological roles and biotechnological potentials to be made.Read moreRead less
The host specificity of bacterial pathogens. The vast majority of microorganisms that cause diseases in animals are host specific. In other words, they cause disease exclusively in a particular animal species, but are harmless for others. Despite considerable recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms used by microorganisms in general to cause disease, in most cases the underlying basis of host-specificity is not known. In this project, we will use two animal pathogens, rabbit-spe ....The host specificity of bacterial pathogens. The vast majority of microorganisms that cause diseases in animals are host specific. In other words, they cause disease exclusively in a particular animal species, but are harmless for others. Despite considerable recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms used by microorganisms in general to cause disease, in most cases the underlying basis of host-specificity is not known. In this project, we will use two animal pathogens, rabbit-specific enteropathogenic E. coli and the closely related bacterium, Citrobacter rodentium, which specifically infect rabbits and mice respectively, to investigate the molecular basis of host specificity.Read moreRead less
Further Genetic and Molecular studies of an Important Prokaryotic Regulator Protein TyrR. Genomes encode many functions whose expression varies dramatically depending on particular cellular environments. Special proteins called Regulator Proteins act as sensors to detect subtle changes in the environment and, in response, to influence the expression of certain genes either dampening them down or stimulating their activity. We are working with the TyrR regulator protein of the simple bacterium E ....Further Genetic and Molecular studies of an Important Prokaryotic Regulator Protein TyrR. Genomes encode many functions whose expression varies dramatically depending on particular cellular environments. Special proteins called Regulator Proteins act as sensors to detect subtle changes in the environment and, in response, to influence the expression of certain genes either dampening them down or stimulating their activity. We are working with the TyrR regulator protein of the simple bacterium Escherichia coli to elucidate the molecular strategies used in these controls. Because this protein controls the expression of a number of genes with diverse functions, evolution has selected equally diverse mechanisms to achieve appropriate transcriptional responses. The detailed knowledge of the E.coli genome and of the various genes regulated by TyrR make it an excellent system for such fundamental studies.Read moreRead less
Identifying Novel Biosynthetic Pathways in Mycobacteria using DNA Microarray Technology. DNA microarrays are a powerful new bioinformatics-based technology and an ideal tool for characterising complex biosynthetic pathways since the expression of all genes in the bacterial genome can be monitored in a single experiment. In this project we aim to construct and use a DNA microarray to identify novel biosynthetic pathways in mycobacteria. Of particular interest are pathways used to create compone ....Identifying Novel Biosynthetic Pathways in Mycobacteria using DNA Microarray Technology. DNA microarrays are a powerful new bioinformatics-based technology and an ideal tool for characterising complex biosynthetic pathways since the expression of all genes in the bacterial genome can be monitored in a single experiment. In this project we aim to construct and use a DNA microarray to identify novel biosynthetic pathways in mycobacteria. Of particular interest are pathways used to create components of the highly complex and poorly characterised cell wall. Since this structure is unique in the bacterial world, we expect to identify and characterise pathways that are unique to mycobacteria.Read moreRead less
Host cell targets of bacterial virulence effectors. The research described in this proposal will result in a better understanding of the cell biology of host-pathogen interactions. We are in a unique position to analyze the importance of protein/protein interactions between bacterial virulence determinants and host cell proteins using a range of cell biology techniques to address the fundamental, molecular basis of the host-pathogen interaction. In addition we will construct a new genetic tool ....Host cell targets of bacterial virulence effectors. The research described in this proposal will result in a better understanding of the cell biology of host-pathogen interactions. We are in a unique position to analyze the importance of protein/protein interactions between bacterial virulence determinants and host cell proteins using a range of cell biology techniques to address the fundamental, molecular basis of the host-pathogen interaction. In addition we will construct a new genetic tool to identify novel bacterial virulence determinants. We anticipate that a greater knowledge of the factors that contribute to the host-pathogen interaction will provide new insights into the subversion of host cell processes by bacterial pathogens of animals, plants and humans.
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The geomicrobiology and (bio)geochemistry of platinum, palladium and rhodium. Few economic (Platinum) Pt, (Palladium) Pd or (Rhodium) Rh deposits are known in Australia despite an abundance of potential host rock. By improving onshore exploration techniques this project will ensure the supply of these strategic metals to the Australian economy. By integrating geochemical, molecular microbial and microanalyses (e.g., synchrotron) techniques this project will also: (i) enhance Australia's status i ....The geomicrobiology and (bio)geochemistry of platinum, palladium and rhodium. Few economic (Platinum) Pt, (Palladium) Pd or (Rhodium) Rh deposits are known in Australia despite an abundance of potential host rock. By improving onshore exploration techniques this project will ensure the supply of these strategic metals to the Australian economy. By integrating geochemical, molecular microbial and microanalyses (e.g., synchrotron) techniques this project will also: (i) enhance Australia's status in the breakthrough science of Geomicrobiology; (ii) secure a leading role for Australian science in the assessment of anthropogenic Pt, Pd and Rh pollution; (iii) access expertise developed overseas by fostering international collaborations; and (iv) explore the transformational capabilities of microbiota for ore-processing of and nano-particle production.Read moreRead less
Targeted isolation of specific marine bacterial species associated with higher organsims for the purpose of discovering new antimicrobial compounds. Specific bacterial species that are commonly found in association with marine plants and animals often produce active secondary metabolites. The aim of this project is to apply our understanding of these bacterial-host associations to the targeted isolation of novel antimicrobials from the marine environment. While these new compounds will undoubted ....Targeted isolation of specific marine bacterial species associated with higher organsims for the purpose of discovering new antimicrobial compounds. Specific bacterial species that are commonly found in association with marine plants and animals often produce active secondary metabolites. The aim of this project is to apply our understanding of these bacterial-host associations to the targeted isolation of novel antimicrobials from the marine environment. While these new compounds will undoubtedly have a number of commercial applications this project focuses on the development of products for dental hygiene in animals. Generally, the urgent need for new antimicrobial compounds to combat the growing number of microbes that are resistant to current antibiotics highlights the importance of this project.Read moreRead less
Functional genomics of large clostridial plasmids. The aims of this genomics project are to determine how large DNA elements called plasmids are able to be transferred between different strains of a bacterium that causes disease in domestic livestock. These plasmids carry genes that encode the potent protein toxins that are responsible for several diseases. To understand how these diseases are spread we must learn how the plasmids have evolved and whether they can move from bacterium to bacteriu ....Functional genomics of large clostridial plasmids. The aims of this genomics project are to determine how large DNA elements called plasmids are able to be transferred between different strains of a bacterium that causes disease in domestic livestock. These plasmids carry genes that encode the potent protein toxins that are responsible for several diseases. To understand how these diseases are spread we must learn how the plasmids have evolved and whether they can move from bacterium to bacterium. The successful completion of the project will result in a detailed understanding of genetic elements that are important mediators of several diseases of importance to Australian primary industry.Read moreRead less
Molecular genetic analysis of genes controlling morphogenesis: Dimorphic switching in the fungus Penicillium marneffei. Fungi exist in two predominant growth forms; unicellular yeast and multicellular mould (filamentous hyphae). Some fungi can alternate between these two forms in response to environmental stimuli, a process known as dimorphic switching. The cells of these two forms have distinctive shapes and physiological capacities established by genome-wide expression patterns that are trigge ....Molecular genetic analysis of genes controlling morphogenesis: Dimorphic switching in the fungus Penicillium marneffei. Fungi exist in two predominant growth forms; unicellular yeast and multicellular mould (filamentous hyphae). Some fungi can alternate between these two forms in response to environmental stimuli, a process known as dimorphic switching. The cells of these two forms have distinctive shapes and physiological capacities established by genome-wide expression patterns that are triggered by signalling pathways. This research aims to understand the fundamental mechanisms controlling dimorphic switching using Penicillium marneffei, a model system. P. marneffei switches between yeast and filamentous forms in response to temperature. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms that control dimorphic switching has important implications for biotechnology and medicine.Read moreRead less
Regulation of nuclear localisation of the AreA transcription factor in Aspergillus nidulans. An understanding of the means by which the expression of genes is regulated is of fundamental significance. Changes in gene expression are central to the development, growth and viability of all cells and their response to environmental changes/stresses. This study uses the fungus Aspergillus nidulans as an excellent molecular genetic tool to investigate how a key regulatory protein controls gene expres ....Regulation of nuclear localisation of the AreA transcription factor in Aspergillus nidulans. An understanding of the means by which the expression of genes is regulated is of fundamental significance. Changes in gene expression are central to the development, growth and viability of all cells and their response to environmental changes/stresses. This study uses the fungus Aspergillus nidulans as an excellent molecular genetic tool to investigate how a key regulatory protein controls gene expression in response to nitrogen starvation stress. Our understanding of these dynamic processes informs our approaches to the development of cancer therapies, to commercial biotechnology application and to control of human, plant and animal pathogens in which the infectious process is triggered by environmental stress. Read moreRead less