A Genomic Dissection of Natural Adaptation in Mate Recognition. Adaptation is a fundamental area of evolutionary biology but we know surprisingly little about its underlying genetic basis. As a process, adaptation poses several challenges for Australian society including bacterial evolution of resistance to antibiotics, HIV resistance to antiviral medications and the evolution of pesticide resistance in agricultural pests. This study will use a model system and genomic tools to test theoretical ....A Genomic Dissection of Natural Adaptation in Mate Recognition. Adaptation is a fundamental area of evolutionary biology but we know surprisingly little about its underlying genetic basis. As a process, adaptation poses several challenges for Australian society including bacterial evolution of resistance to antibiotics, HIV resistance to antiviral medications and the evolution of pesticide resistance in agricultural pests. This study will use a model system and genomic tools to test theoretical models of the genetic basis of adaptation. This integrative approach will enhance Australia's research profile in genomics and evolutionary biology. The project will provide emerging scientists with skills in areas including genomics, molecular biology, evolutionary biology and agricultural genetics.Read moreRead less
Maximising knowledge from dense SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) data using multi-locus analysis. The genomics revolution has made it possible to measure thousands of DNA variants in individuals. This information can be used in many ways, including to find genes that cause variation between individuals in a population and to estimate the size of the population in the past. Our study will lead an analysis method that will extract more information out of such data. This will improve the effi ....Maximising knowledge from dense SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) data using multi-locus analysis. The genomics revolution has made it possible to measure thousands of DNA variants in individuals. This information can be used in many ways, including to find genes that cause variation between individuals in a population and to estimate the size of the population in the past. Our study will lead an analysis method that will extract more information out of such data. This will improve the efficiency of gene mapping methods, including applications in humans for traits related to productive ageing and a healthy start to life, will allow the estimation of genetic relatedness and genetic variation in natural populations, and will lead to more efficient selection programs in agricultural populations.Read moreRead less
Sexual selection and the accumulation of deleterious mutations. Mutation is the ultimate source of all genetic variation. Understanding the nature of mutation, its frequency, the distribution of effects, and the forces of selection that remove mutational load from populations is therefore a central concern of genetics. The accumulation of mutational load in endangered species and in human populations, where the forces of selection tend not to operate, has the potential to create serious proble ....Sexual selection and the accumulation of deleterious mutations. Mutation is the ultimate source of all genetic variation. Understanding the nature of mutation, its frequency, the distribution of effects, and the forces of selection that remove mutational load from populations is therefore a central concern of genetics. The accumulation of mutational load in endangered species and in human populations, where the forces of selection tend not to operate, has the potential to create serious problems. We will determine the efficacy of sexual selection in preventing deleterious mutations from accumulating in populations. This project will provide research training opportunities in quantitative genetics, an enabling discipline in Biology.Read moreRead less
Tuneable “Nano-Shearing”: An Innovative Mechanism for the Accurate and Specific Capture of Cells and Molecules. Recent investigations have discovered a tuneable electro-hydrodynamic force which drives lateral fluid motion within a few nanometers of an electrode surface. Because the magnitude of this fluid shear force can be tuned externally (for example, via the application of an AC electric field), it provides a new capability to physically displace weakly (non-specifically) bound cellular and ....Tuneable “Nano-Shearing”: An Innovative Mechanism for the Accurate and Specific Capture of Cells and Molecules. Recent investigations have discovered a tuneable electro-hydrodynamic force which drives lateral fluid motion within a few nanometers of an electrode surface. Because the magnitude of this fluid shear force can be tuned externally (for example, via the application of an AC electric field), it provides a new capability to physically displace weakly (non-specifically) bound cellular and molecular analytes. By performing research to further understand and develop this tuneable effect, this project aims to build and test a new platform technology to enable highly efficient capture and specific detection of low concentration pathogenic molecules and circulating tumour cells (CTCs).Read moreRead less
MULTIVARIATE QUANTITATIVE GENETICS AND THE LEK PARADOX. This research program as the potential to change the way evolutionary biologists view how selection changes the available patterns of genetic variance and covariance. In particular, it will highlight the possibility that a lack of genetic variance in multi-trait systems may be an important mechanism that limits the response to selection. It is therefore addresses a fundamental problem in quantitative genetics that underlies selection li ....MULTIVARIATE QUANTITATIVE GENETICS AND THE LEK PARADOX. This research program as the potential to change the way evolutionary biologists view how selection changes the available patterns of genetic variance and covariance. In particular, it will highlight the possibility that a lack of genetic variance in multi-trait systems may be an important mechanism that limits the response to selection. It is therefore addresses a fundamental problem in quantitative genetics that underlies selection limits in evolution and agriculture.Read moreRead less
The Genomic Dimensionality of the Response to Natural Selection. Many future advances in agriculture and medicine, as well as an understanding of adaptive evolution in natural and pest populations will require discovering the genes that regulate the expression of complex traits. Microarray technology is at the forefront of modern genomics, but despite its promise, is currently restricted in its utility by significant analytical problems associated with the analysis of the large number of gene ex ....The Genomic Dimensionality of the Response to Natural Selection. Many future advances in agriculture and medicine, as well as an understanding of adaptive evolution in natural and pest populations will require discovering the genes that regulate the expression of complex traits. Microarray technology is at the forefront of modern genomics, but despite its promise, is currently restricted in its utility by significant analytical problems associated with the analysis of the large number of gene expression profiles and their interpretation. Analytical approaches will be developed that will substantially enhance the ability of transcriptional profiling to effectively uncover key genes underlying important phenotypes of interest across the biological and medical sciences.Read moreRead less
Drosophila Quantitative Genomics. This research proposal will be a key element in the emerging program in evolutionary and ecological functional genomics at the University of Queensland. Our studies utilize modern genomics approaches to address diverse national priorities from conservation of biological resources in the face of climate change, to understanding how genetic history contributes to drug susceptibility. The research will contribute to the intellectual foundation upon which rigorous ....Drosophila Quantitative Genomics. This research proposal will be a key element in the emerging program in evolutionary and ecological functional genomics at the University of Queensland. Our studies utilize modern genomics approaches to address diverse national priorities from conservation of biological resources in the face of climate change, to understanding how genetic history contributes to drug susceptibility. The research will contribute to the intellectual foundation upon which rigorous environmental and biomedical research is built. Social impact will be seen in the training of a new generation of integrative genome biologists, and the shaping of attitudes toward the role of genetics in human biology.Read moreRead less
The Geometry of Genetic Limits to Evolutionary Change. Genetic limits to evolutionary change are a fundamental issue for plant and animal improvement, as well as understanding how natural populations may respond to human-induced changes such as habitat degradation and climate change. Because we still know very little about how genetic variation is distributed among the multiple traits that are likely to respond to selection in such circumstances, we have no way of directly measuring the evoluti ....The Geometry of Genetic Limits to Evolutionary Change. Genetic limits to evolutionary change are a fundamental issue for plant and animal improvement, as well as understanding how natural populations may respond to human-induced changes such as habitat degradation and climate change. Because we still know very little about how genetic variation is distributed among the multiple traits that are likely to respond to selection in such circumstances, we have no way of directly measuring the evolutionary potential of any natural population. In this proposal, we develop the theory, statistical tools, and experimental designs to investigate the nature and prevalence of these multivariate genetic constraints.Read moreRead less
Estimation of non-additive genetic variance for complex traits using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphyisms and sequence data. Finding genes for traits of importance in agriculture, ecology and human health depends on understanding the genetic basis of these traits. This project will investigate whether variation in traits in humans, cattle and wild sheep are influenced by gene-gene interactions.
The genetic architecture and evolution of quantitative traits. Most important traits are controlled by many genes and by the environment, however there is little knowledge of how many genes are involved in these complex traits and what their effects are. This project will describe the number of genes and their effects for complex traits in humans and livestock and explain how these genes evolve.