Molecular characterisation of the Prf bacterial recognition complex of tomato. This project will investigate the composition and function of a large protein complex in tomatoes that controls their ability to resist attack by bacteria. The results will provide understanding to how all plants resist all diseases, and may help to improve environmentally-benign disease resistance in crop species.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100078
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,000.00
Summary
Multiphoton confocal microscope. Recent developments in light microscopy have revolutionised modern molecular and cellular biology. Dramatic improvements in microscope hardware and software and in the range of fluorescent markers used to tag selected cellular components now provide new and exciting opportunities to localise and determine the function of ions and molecules not only in preserved samples but also, most excitingly, in living cells. The proposed multiphoton confocal microscope will ....Multiphoton confocal microscope. Recent developments in light microscopy have revolutionised modern molecular and cellular biology. Dramatic improvements in microscope hardware and software and in the range of fluorescent markers used to tag selected cellular components now provide new and exciting opportunities to localise and determine the function of ions and molecules not only in preserved samples but also, most excitingly, in living cells. The proposed multiphoton confocal microscope will allow researchers in Canberra to obtain high quality images of static and moving components in living cells and tissues and will facilitate the discovery of new knowledge that contributes to our understanding and control of development and disease in both plants and animals.Read moreRead less
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of action of novel plant guanylyl cyclase enzymes - a new class of overlapping dual-domain molecules. A group of highly unusual catalytic molecules in plants has been identified. The mechanisms of action of these molecules will be studied in this project to learn their role in regulating plant growth in changing climates. The results will reveal how these molecules function and also provide new insights for the development of multi-functional artificial molecule ....Molecular and cellular mechanisms of action of novel plant guanylyl cyclase enzymes - a new class of overlapping dual-domain molecules. A group of highly unusual catalytic molecules in plants has been identified. The mechanisms of action of these molecules will be studied in this project to learn their role in regulating plant growth in changing climates. The results will reveal how these molecules function and also provide new insights for the development of multi-functional artificial molecules.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100054
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
How plants respond to cell wall signals. This project aims to discover mechanisms of plant cell wall signalling and modify plant cell walls for improved food, textiles, building materials and renewable biofuels without inadvertently activating cell wall signalling. However, attempts to improve cell walls have been ineffective because it is not known how plants use cell wall signalling to sense and compensate for cell wall changes. This project expects to develop both a genetic screen to find mut ....How plants respond to cell wall signals. This project aims to discover mechanisms of plant cell wall signalling and modify plant cell walls for improved food, textiles, building materials and renewable biofuels without inadvertently activating cell wall signalling. However, attempts to improve cell walls have been ineffective because it is not known how plants use cell wall signalling to sense and compensate for cell wall changes. This project expects to develop both a genetic screen to find mutants defective in cell wall signal transduction and a bioinformatic tool to compare genomes across species and discover cell wall signalling components. Potential benefits include addressing Australian research priorities: Food, Environmental Change, and Energy.Read moreRead less
Cells are building blocks of living things and require signalling pathways to communicate their functions. We discovered a new signalling pathway in flies that remarkably exists in yeast and plants to more complex organisms like mice and man. We will study this new signalling pathway in flies to find out how and why it communicates in cells. As flies and humans share similar genes, our studies will inform how this previously unknown signalling pathway functions from simple to complex organisms
Regulation of cell proliferation and survival by the ubiquitin system. This project aims to investigate how the fundamental processes of cell division and cell death are controlled at the molecular level by protein degradation enzymes (known as ubiquitin ligases), and how these regulate cellular homeostasis. Using interdisciplinary approaches incorporating proteomics, biochemistry, and molecular cell biology, this project seeks to delineate the components of signalling pathways implicated in the ....Regulation of cell proliferation and survival by the ubiquitin system. This project aims to investigate how the fundamental processes of cell division and cell death are controlled at the molecular level by protein degradation enzymes (known as ubiquitin ligases), and how these regulate cellular homeostasis. Using interdisciplinary approaches incorporating proteomics, biochemistry, and molecular cell biology, this project seeks to delineate the components of signalling pathways implicated in the degradation of proteins implicated in cell division and cell death. Expected outcomes include an increased understanding of how proteins are specifically selected for degradation. Protein degradation pathways operate with remarkable selectivity and this work is expected to illuminate the mechanisms of substrate targeting. The biochemical approaches will provide insight and impact in the areas of cell signaling, organelle biology and cell biology.Read moreRead less
Structural and functional analysis of the protein kinase R. We have shown that protein kinase R (PKR) plays a key role in regulating the body's response to virus infections, inflammation and cancer. This project will identify mechanisms that regulate the activity of PKR and provide information useful for the development of novel drugs.
Decoding the spatiotemporal control of DNA replication and repair. DNA replication is the fundamental mechanism of genetic inheritance and essential for all cellular life. This project aims to inform our understanding of how human cells coordinate the DNA replication machinery in time and space to accurately copy the human genome. By applying multiple innovative approaches and employing an interdisciplinary research team, this project is anticipated to generate new knowledge that explains how th ....Decoding the spatiotemporal control of DNA replication and repair. DNA replication is the fundamental mechanism of genetic inheritance and essential for all cellular life. This project aims to inform our understanding of how human cells coordinate the DNA replication machinery in time and space to accurately copy the human genome. By applying multiple innovative approaches and employing an interdisciplinary research team, this project is anticipated to generate new knowledge that explains how the human genome is replicated. This knowledge is expected to generate research publications of high quality and provide economic benefits, such as unlocking new potentially patentable DNA technologies. Read moreRead less
A molecular investigation into the naïve T cell repertoire. This project aims to interrogate the relationship between T cell receptor (TCR) recognition modes and T cell recruitment and activation. CD8+ T cells are important for adaptive immunity. Their recognition, via TCR, of peptides bound to MHC class I antigen-presenting molecules (pMHCI), initiates a signalling cascade which activates T cells effector functions. All structural information on TCR recognition of pMHCI is based on TCRs prevale ....A molecular investigation into the naïve T cell repertoire. This project aims to interrogate the relationship between T cell receptor (TCR) recognition modes and T cell recruitment and activation. CD8+ T cells are important for adaptive immunity. Their recognition, via TCR, of peptides bound to MHC class I antigen-presenting molecules (pMHCI), initiates a signalling cascade which activates T cells effector functions. All structural information on TCR recognition of pMHCI is based on TCRs prevalent in immune responses, and all recognise pMHCI using a conserved orientation. This project aims to use this observation to study the relationship between TCR recognition modes and T cell recruitment and activation.Read moreRead less
How protein tyrosine phosphatases select their substrates. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are enzymes that control the response of cells to divergent environmental stimuli. This project will determine how individual PTPs exert selective effects on cellular communication networks to coordinate organismal development, growth and survival.