Trafficking Mechanisms Governing Receptor Availability For Signalling
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,978.00
Summary
Receptors on the cell surface allow cells to respond to their environment. We have recently discovered a new pathway for controlling the amount of receptors displayed on the cell surface, errors within which will lead to defects in development and diseases like cancer. We are studying how this new pathway controls the balance between how much receptors are destroyed after being activated and how much are recycled back for re-use.
Small is beautiful: Did gene-rich regions of mammal chromosomes evolve from microchromosomes? Most birds and reptile genomes feature many tiny microchromosomes. These are not junk, as previously thought, but contain most of the genes. Mammals lack microchromosomes, but contain gene-rich regions with similar attributes. We suggest that microchromosomes originated by genome duplication, and evolved into the gene-rich regions of mammalian chromosomes. We will test this hypothesis by comparing seque ....Small is beautiful: Did gene-rich regions of mammal chromosomes evolve from microchromosomes? Most birds and reptile genomes feature many tiny microchromosomes. These are not junk, as previously thought, but contain most of the genes. Mammals lack microchromosomes, but contain gene-rich regions with similar attributes. We suggest that microchromosomes originated by genome duplication, and evolved into the gene-rich regions of mammalian chromosomes. We will test this hypothesis by comparing sequences and genes in microchromosomes of birds, reptiles and monotremes. This will clarify the origin and evolution of the ?microgenome?, establish its suitability as a model for vertebrate genome organisation, and demonstrate whether microchromosomes are the ancestors of the gene-rich regions of mammalian chromosomes.Read moreRead less
Identification Of The Conformation Dependant Targets Of Autoimmune Disease Linked Variation In Human Regulatory T Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,001,815.00
Summary
Specialised immune cells called regulatory T cells act as the policemen of the immune system, preventing the immune system attacking itself, but still fighting infections. If these cells do not work properly, autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes or IBD can arise, because of immune attack on normal body tissue by mistake. In order to explain how this goes wrong we need to carefully identify all of the gene interactions in these cells including interactions over long distances in the DNA.
Clinical Outcomes, Safety And Incremental Cost Effectiveness Of Multi-level Airway Surgery In Patients With Moderate-severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Who Have Failed Medical Management
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$652,794.00
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a serious medical disorder with a high public health cost. OSA can be effectively treated but poor treatment compliance is a major clinical problem. As a consequence many OSA patients remain untreated, with significant implications for their long term health. New effective and safe therapies are needed. We believe that we will demonstrate a relatively straightforward, safe and effective surgical procedure for OSA after primary treatments fail. This will lead to ....Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a serious medical disorder with a high public health cost. OSA can be effectively treated but poor treatment compliance is a major clinical problem. As a consequence many OSA patients remain untreated, with significant implications for their long term health. New effective and safe therapies are needed. We believe that we will demonstrate a relatively straightforward, safe and effective surgical procedure for OSA after primary treatments fail. This will lead to improved patient outcomes.Read moreRead less
Survival of Australia's Family Farms: Capital Raising and Credit Access. Family-run farms are an integral part of rural Australia. Given the evolving global financial crisis and the expanding complexity of managing a family farm in Australia due to increasing competition from large incorporated holdings and overseas producers, a persisting drought, rising climate variability, and constraining carbon markets, one critical issue for the sustainability of family farms is their ability to access an ....Survival of Australia's Family Farms: Capital Raising and Credit Access. Family-run farms are an integral part of rural Australia. Given the evolving global financial crisis and the expanding complexity of managing a family farm in Australia due to increasing competition from large incorporated holdings and overseas producers, a persisting drought, rising climate variability, and constraining carbon markets, one critical issue for the sustainability of family farms is their ability to access and manage successfully competitive sources of credit. This study examines the extent to which family farms are currently at a disadvantage, and what policies could be implemented to ensure their sustainability into the future via access to competitive lines of credit and appropriate financial management practices.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775503
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$255,000.00
Summary
Robotics for plant genomics: Increasing throughput in plant genetic analyses. Plant genomics has direct benefit to crop improvement, especially as focussed in the applicants' laboratories. Thus, the Australian agri-food sector will benefit substantially from the acceleration in plant functional genomics that will arise from the installation of the robotics equipment described in the current application, by both underpinning more applied research and also being used directly in crop improvement p ....Robotics for plant genomics: Increasing throughput in plant genetic analyses. Plant genomics has direct benefit to crop improvement, especially as focussed in the applicants' laboratories. Thus, the Australian agri-food sector will benefit substantially from the acceleration in plant functional genomics that will arise from the installation of the robotics equipment described in the current application, by both underpinning more applied research and also being used directly in crop improvement programs such as are based at the Waite Campus. The outputs will include crops with increased tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, a reduced dependence on chemical inputs such as fertilisers and improved food quality, with consequent benefits to the environment and human health and nutrition.Read moreRead less
Endosymbiotic DNA transfer. Interorganellar DNA movement is a major force in evolution. In higher organisms, the prokaryotic ancestors of mitochondria and chloroplasts donated many genes to the nucleus. Plants have unique potential in studies of the mechanisms that have driven genome evolution. We established experimentally that DNA moves from the chloroplast to the nucleus at high frequency and this provided us with a world lead in this scientifically new area. The relocated genes contribute to ....Endosymbiotic DNA transfer. Interorganellar DNA movement is a major force in evolution. In higher organisms, the prokaryotic ancestors of mitochondria and chloroplasts donated many genes to the nucleus. Plants have unique potential in studies of the mechanisms that have driven genome evolution. We established experimentally that DNA moves from the chloroplast to the nucleus at high frequency and this provided us with a world lead in this scientifically new area. The relocated genes contribute to the number and diversity of genes and gene function. Genetically manipulated (GM) crops use the chloroplast compartment to make high levels of protein, necessitating a full understanding of how transgenes behave within the cellular and the external environment.Read moreRead less
Solving the Mysteries of Monotreme Chromosomes. The peculiar chromosomes of Australia's platypus and echidna have been debated for more than 30 years. Classical cytology cannot resolve the puzzling sex chromosome system, or to sort out the bizarre translocation chain (unique in vertebrates) and deduce how it segregates to make viable zyotes. I will microdissect individual chromosomes, and use DNA ?paints? from them (and gene probes isolated by them) to detect homologies between unpaired chromoso ....Solving the Mysteries of Monotreme Chromosomes. The peculiar chromosomes of Australia's platypus and echidna have been debated for more than 30 years. Classical cytology cannot resolve the puzzling sex chromosome system, or to sort out the bizarre translocation chain (unique in vertebrates) and deduce how it segregates to make viable zyotes. I will microdissect individual chromosomes, and use DNA ?paints? from them (and gene probes isolated by them) to detect homologies between unpaired chromosomes at mitosis, meiosis and in sperm. I will use immunohistochemistry to clarify chromosome pairing and recombination at meiosis. This will answer some important general questions about chromosome behaviour and sex chromosome evolution.
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The nature, extent and effect of infant removal by child protection. This project aims to provide new knowledge about the nature, extent and effect of removals of babies from their parents in Australia. Removal is the highest level of intervention by the child protection system, and one which some mothers experienced on multiple occasions. Little is known, however, about its incidence and effects, nor whether there are over-represented groups (e.g. Aboriginal mothers and babies) who would respon ....The nature, extent and effect of infant removal by child protection. This project aims to provide new knowledge about the nature, extent and effect of removals of babies from their parents in Australia. Removal is the highest level of intervention by the child protection system, and one which some mothers experienced on multiple occasions. Little is known, however, about its incidence and effects, nor whether there are over-represented groups (e.g. Aboriginal mothers and babies) who would respond to targeted interventions. This project aims to identify appropriate early intervention and prevention strategies, preventing the need for babies to spend their whole childhood in care at great financial and societal cost.Read moreRead less
Ecology, morphology and the diversification of Australian lizards. This project aims to determine the factors driving the spectacular radiation of lizards in Australia. To date, most investigations of lizard anatomy have focused exclusively on external characteristics. This project will examine the underlying internal anatomy to investigate whether morphological innovation is associated with enhanced rates of ecological, life-history and species diversification. The project expects to shed light ....Ecology, morphology and the diversification of Australian lizards. This project aims to determine the factors driving the spectacular radiation of lizards in Australia. To date, most investigations of lizard anatomy have focused exclusively on external characteristics. This project will examine the underlying internal anatomy to investigate whether morphological innovation is associated with enhanced rates of ecological, life-history and species diversification. The project expects to shed light on the evolution of Australia’s most diverse vertebrate lineage, and provide comparative data with which to interpret the lizard fossil record in Australia, and the range declines and relative extinction risks of native lizard species.Read moreRead less