Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$441,100.00
Summary
Developmental Imaging Facility. This application seeks to establish a facility to undertake expression profiling in vertebrate tissues on a genomic scale and at the highest resolution. Undertaking large scale projects of this nature requires specialised robotics and dedicated infrastructure for microscopy and tissue preparation. This facility will be the first of its type in Australia will permit researchers to perform genomic scale in situ screens, many as part of large international initiative ....Developmental Imaging Facility. This application seeks to establish a facility to undertake expression profiling in vertebrate tissues on a genomic scale and at the highest resolution. Undertaking large scale projects of this nature requires specialised robotics and dedicated infrastructure for microscopy and tissue preparation. This facility will be the first of its type in Australia will permit researchers to perform genomic scale in situ screens, many as part of large international initiatives in developmental and cellular biology. This large-scale, high-resolution expression profiling infrastructure is required to maintain international competitiveness and will dramatically improve our gene discovery, functional assessment and understanding of vertebrate development.Read moreRead less
Structure and function of a new class of multi-zinc finger (MZF) transcriptional regulators. An understanding of how genes are switched on and off during the development and lifetime of an organism is central to developing the ability to fight many diseases in a rational way. This project will advance our knowledge in this area at a fundamental molecular level by examining the mechanisms through which a specific set of proteins controls gene expression.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775778
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,000.00
Summary
A microarray platform for gene expression analysis and genotyping in biological systems. This technology has substantial benefits for basic science and biotechnology. The ability to rapidly study changes in gene expression in living organisms will benefit agriculture, animal and biomedical science and biotechnology. The Affymetrix platform creates opportunities for new avenues of research, such as studying epigenetic (DNA and protein modifications) mechanisms in development, ageing and disease. ....A microarray platform for gene expression analysis and genotyping in biological systems. This technology has substantial benefits for basic science and biotechnology. The ability to rapidly study changes in gene expression in living organisms will benefit agriculture, animal and biomedical science and biotechnology. The Affymetrix platform creates opportunities for new avenues of research, such as studying epigenetic (DNA and protein modifications) mechanisms in development, ageing and disease. The project falls within the designated national research priority areas of 'promoting and maintaining good health" and the priority goals of "a healthy start to life", "aging well", "aging productively" and "preventative health care."Read moreRead less
The Role of C-kit and Selected TGF beta Family Members in Recruitment. The recruitment of primordial follicles into the growth phase is central to female reproductive function, however the control of this process to date, has been poorly understood due to inadequate technologies. Our team has recently developed novel recruitment models and a new and innovative method of isolating primordial follicles which will enable us to identify the role of c-kit and selected TGF beta family members in recru ....The Role of C-kit and Selected TGF beta Family Members in Recruitment. The recruitment of primordial follicles into the growth phase is central to female reproductive function, however the control of this process to date, has been poorly understood due to inadequate technologies. Our team has recently developed novel recruitment models and a new and innovative method of isolating primordial follicles which will enable us to identify the role of c-kit and selected TGF beta family members in recruitment. This work will provide cornerstone scientific knowledge about the control of female reproduction and provide the impetus for the development of more effective contraception and superovulation strategies in mammals.Read moreRead less
An RNA interference based genetic screen for novel epigenetic modifiers involved in mammalian X inactivation. All the information required to form an adult human is contained in the DNA of the fertilized egg. Development is achieved by a complex orchestration of genes being switched on and off, controlled by proteins called epigenetic modifiers. Sometimes this goes awry, leading to disease. Despite their vital role, only around ten percent of the potential epigenetic modifiers have been characte ....An RNA interference based genetic screen for novel epigenetic modifiers involved in mammalian X inactivation. All the information required to form an adult human is contained in the DNA of the fertilized egg. Development is achieved by a complex orchestration of genes being switched on and off, controlled by proteins called epigenetic modifiers. Sometimes this goes awry, leading to disease. Despite their vital role, only around ten percent of the potential epigenetic modifiers have been characterized in humans, making it impossible to interpret how they work together, or when they fail. We will develop a novel screen-based technology to find hundreds more true epigenetic modifiers. This technology will aid us and other Australian scientists to understand the role of epigenetics in normal development and disease, ultimately leading to better public health.Read moreRead less
The co-expression of visual pigments in a single photoreceptor: environmental regulation and spectral tuning. The light sensitive cells (photoreceptors) in the vertebrate retina contain filters (oil droplets) and visual pigments (opsins). These structures tune the incoming light and initiate the visual process, respectively. Exciting new research reveals that some vertebrates express more than one opsin within a single photoreceptor. We plan to examine the regulation of single and two co-express ....The co-expression of visual pigments in a single photoreceptor: environmental regulation and spectral tuning. The light sensitive cells (photoreceptors) in the vertebrate retina contain filters (oil droplets) and visual pigments (opsins). These structures tune the incoming light and initiate the visual process, respectively. Exciting new research reveals that some vertebrates express more than one opsin within a single photoreceptor. We plan to examine the regulation of single and two co-expressed opsin genes by manipulating the light environment. We expect to determine the environmental triggers for visual pigment tuning and the effects of co-expression on colour vision.Read moreRead less
Environmental regulation of opsin expression and spectral tuning in the vertebrate retina. Exciting new evidence shows that the vertebrate visual system is extraordinarily plastic and that the colour and brightness of the ambient light regulates both the spatial and temporal expression of visual pigments (opsin) genes and the degree of spectral filtering in the retina. Based on findings that more than one visual pigment can be co-expressed in a single photoreceptor type, we plan to manipulate th ....Environmental regulation of opsin expression and spectral tuning in the vertebrate retina. Exciting new evidence shows that the vertebrate visual system is extraordinarily plastic and that the colour and brightness of the ambient light regulates both the spatial and temporal expression of visual pigments (opsin) genes and the degree of spectral filtering in the retina. Based on findings that more than one visual pigment can be co-expressed in a single photoreceptor type, we plan to manipulate the light environment in order to identify and quantify the effect of different lighting regimes by morphological, spectral and molecular techniques in a concerted effort to understand the regulation of opsin expression.Read moreRead less
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI0560757
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,896.00
Summary
Identification and Characterisation of Genes involved in the Copper Regulation of the Human Alzheimer's Disease Amyloid-Beta Precursor Protein (APP) Gene. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the ageing population. This research project aims to identify and characterise new genes involved in the copper regulation of the Alzheimer's disease gene. This may lead to the development of novel therapeutic targets and clinical intervention strategies as well as early diagnost ....Identification and Characterisation of Genes involved in the Copper Regulation of the Human Alzheimer's Disease Amyloid-Beta Precursor Protein (APP) Gene. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the ageing population. This research project aims to identify and characterise new genes involved in the copper regulation of the Alzheimer's disease gene. This may lead to the development of novel therapeutic targets and clinical intervention strategies as well as early diagnostic procedures in preventative healthcare for the treatment of AD. The benefits would affect the international community as a whole, potentially minimising the socio-economic costs arising from the predicted world-wide increase in AD in the ageing population.Read moreRead less
Adaptive Evolution of BRCA1 in Ancestral Mammals. This project investigates adaptive evolution of BRCA1 in the early radiation of mammals. We will test the hypothesis that the evolution of mammary glands and X chromosome inactivation has resulted in modification of the BRCA1 protein sequence as it aquired new roles in these processes. We will also investigate the importance of these changes inducing compensatory changes in other parts of the protein.
Regulation of the EphA3 receptor tyrosine kinase in vertebrate development. The Eph/ephrin system has a critical role in normal embryonic development. Amongst vertebrates, the EphA3 gene is one of the most highly conserved genes in this system with critical roles in development of the visual system and in other developmental processes. Understanding how this gene is regulated will help us to understand the critical role of EphA3 in the basic biology of humans and other animals. This knowledge ma ....Regulation of the EphA3 receptor tyrosine kinase in vertebrate development. The Eph/ephrin system has a critical role in normal embryonic development. Amongst vertebrates, the EphA3 gene is one of the most highly conserved genes in this system with critical roles in development of the visual system and in other developmental processes. Understanding how this gene is regulated will help us to understand the critical role of EphA3 in the basic biology of humans and other animals. This knowledge may also shed light on the basis of congenital abnormalities and other pathological processes and possibly help us to understand how to prevent or treat these conditions.Read moreRead less