Root aquaporins as sensors and regulators of plant water transport. The knowledge we will gain will benefit Australia by allowing better management of plant water use. Because such large quantities of water move through aquaporins in membranes, our understanding of the pores could enable us to manipulate plants to conserve or use water depending on predicted climatic conditions. Molecular aspects of the project will reveal potential novel ways of controlling root water uptake by shoot and root m ....Root aquaporins as sensors and regulators of plant water transport. The knowledge we will gain will benefit Australia by allowing better management of plant water use. Because such large quantities of water move through aquaporins in membranes, our understanding of the pores could enable us to manipulate plants to conserve or use water depending on predicted climatic conditions. Molecular aspects of the project will reveal potential novel ways of controlling root water uptake by shoot and root manipulation. High calibre PhD and Honours students will also be educated to maintain the momentum of international excellence within Australia in the field of plant water relations.Read moreRead less
Development and regulation of thermogenesis in thermoregulating flowers. Flowers of certain primitive plants produce enough heat to raise their temperatures up to 40 C above the air, and regulate it at a nearly constant level. Like warm-blooded mammals, the flowers increase heat production as environmental temperature falls. However, they thermoregulate on a cellular level, unlike mammals with their complex nervous system. We aim to elucidate the mechanisms involved in regulation of heat-prod ....Development and regulation of thermogenesis in thermoregulating flowers. Flowers of certain primitive plants produce enough heat to raise their temperatures up to 40 C above the air, and regulate it at a nearly constant level. Like warm-blooded mammals, the flowers increase heat production as environmental temperature falls. However, they thermoregulate on a cellular level, unlike mammals with their complex nervous system. We aim to elucidate the mechanisms involved in regulation of heat-production, with molecular, biochemical and stable isotope techniques. We will investigate spatial and temporal patterns of gene expression and activity of putative regulatory enzymes. The results will have implications for human physiology and agriculture.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347746
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$199,000.00
Summary
Circular-dichroism stopped-flow spectrometer for rapid molecular interactions and membrane transport. A stopped-flow spectroscope is requested that can capture the rapid kinetics of changes in conformation of biopolymers, macromolecules and chiral catalysts as they interact with other molecules. This includes measurement of rapid transport of solutes through membrane proteins in lipid membranes. The versatile instrument can also determine circular dichroism spectra of peptides, proteins, tannins ....Circular-dichroism stopped-flow spectrometer for rapid molecular interactions and membrane transport. A stopped-flow spectroscope is requested that can capture the rapid kinetics of changes in conformation of biopolymers, macromolecules and chiral catalysts as they interact with other molecules. This includes measurement of rapid transport of solutes through membrane proteins in lipid membranes. The versatile instrument can also determine circular dichroism spectra of peptides, proteins, tannins, pigment complexes and chiral catalysts that is required within several existing collaborations to understand the tertiary structures, stability and interactions between the complex molecules. The instrument will significantly strengthen research on macromolecules and polymers that have applications in the wine industry, nanotechnology, and biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Calcium compartmentation in leaves: testing an integrated model of water and calcium transport with cell specific functional genomics. Calcium is a vital nutrient to animals and humans and its storage in vegetation is important for its accessibility. We believe this storage is linked to water flow in the leaf by a novel mechanism. This project will provide fundamental understanding of the cell type-specific processes involved in calcium storage and water flow in plants. High calibre PhD and Hono ....Calcium compartmentation in leaves: testing an integrated model of water and calcium transport with cell specific functional genomics. Calcium is a vital nutrient to animals and humans and its storage in vegetation is important for its accessibility. We believe this storage is linked to water flow in the leaf by a novel mechanism. This project will provide fundamental understanding of the cell type-specific processes involved in calcium storage and water flow in plants. High calibre PhD and Honours students will be educated to maintain the momentum of international excellence within Australia in the field of plant nutrient relations. The increase in understanding will allow future work to improve calcium availability and water use by plants to the benefit of agricultural productivity and quality of life.Read moreRead less
Multifunctional channels as key components of biotrophic interfaces in legumes. In legumes there are two types of membrane interfaces between different genomes that are critical for growth and yield (nitrogen fixation and seed loading), which require cell-signalling pathways to control nutrient exchange. The membranes of these interfaces contain specialised proteins that form multifunctional channels through which water, uncharged molecules and electrolytes move. These channels are likely to be ....Multifunctional channels as key components of biotrophic interfaces in legumes. In legumes there are two types of membrane interfaces between different genomes that are critical for growth and yield (nitrogen fixation and seed loading), which require cell-signalling pathways to control nutrient exchange. The membranes of these interfaces contain specialised proteins that form multifunctional channels through which water, uncharged molecules and electrolytes move. These channels are likely to be responsible for supporting the bulk of transported nutrients and in controlling their exchange. We aim to discover how these channels function in nitrogen fixation and seed loading with a view to developing new technologies that may enhance crop productivity.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100908
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$461,815.00
Summary
Maximising the beneficial impacts of mycorrhizal fungi on grain nutrition. This project aims to determine the effects of beneficial soil fungi on wheat and rice grain quality for human nutrition using an innovative combination of physiological, molecular and agronomic techniques. The project expects to generate fundamental knowledge in sustainable agriculture, to improve grain quality and value. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced understanding of the mechanisms underlying improve ....Maximising the beneficial impacts of mycorrhizal fungi on grain nutrition. This project aims to determine the effects of beneficial soil fungi on wheat and rice grain quality for human nutrition using an innovative combination of physiological, molecular and agronomic techniques. The project expects to generate fundamental knowledge in sustainable agriculture, to improve grain quality and value. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced understanding of the mechanisms underlying improved grain quality, and the capacity to use soil fungi to increase grain micronutrient concentrations and bioavailability. This should provide significant environmental and societal benefits, such as promotion of the sustainable use of agricultural soils and more nutritious grain products for human consumption.Read moreRead less
Diversity of pollination biology in heat-producing flowers. This research is an entirely new approach to understanding pollination biology. It will highlight the value of ecological diversity in tropical ecosystems and will work toward conservation of these threatened habitats. The project is very strong in developing international links, involving Australia, Germany, France, Turkey, Brazil, Guyana, India and Malaysia. By supporting research involving the International Canopy Crane Network, A ....Diversity of pollination biology in heat-producing flowers. This research is an entirely new approach to understanding pollination biology. It will highlight the value of ecological diversity in tropical ecosystems and will work toward conservation of these threatened habitats. The project is very strong in developing international links, involving Australia, Germany, France, Turkey, Brazil, Guyana, India and Malaysia. By supporting research involving the International Canopy Crane Network, Australia will be recognised as a major contributor to the multinational effort. The project deals with energetics of scarab beetles, with work on reproductive energetics of natural and pest species. Research maintains and develops critical thought, essential for effective university teaching and training.Read moreRead less
Investigating a novel signalling pathway for crop improvement. This project will dissect a newly identified signalling pathway in plants that regulates plant water use and carbon gain. It will deploy multiple techniques, including novel biosensors, to understand the links between the metabolism of plants and their environmental responses. The project will build partnerships with scientists at leading international institutions for enhanced outcomes, including access to specialised equipment and ....Investigating a novel signalling pathway for crop improvement. This project will dissect a newly identified signalling pathway in plants that regulates plant water use and carbon gain. It will deploy multiple techniques, including novel biosensors, to understand the links between the metabolism of plants and their environmental responses. The project will build partnerships with scientists at leading international institutions for enhanced outcomes, including access to specialised equipment and upskilling of our scientists. The generation of barley with the latest gene editing techniques aims to produce a non-GM crop with the potential for enhanced root C sequestration, lower water use and improved yield, three key goals for agricultural sustainability in the face of a drying Australian climate.Read moreRead less
Field and quasi-field phenotyping for the quantitative characterisation of wheat yield under stress. The project aims to develop state-of-the-art monitoring and profiling capabilities for the quantitative assessment of plant growth performance in field and quasi-field environments under the abiotic stress conditions of drought and nutrient deficiency. This project involves the design and use of high resolution but low budget imaging stations to capture the growth of cereal plants in competitive ....Field and quasi-field phenotyping for the quantitative characterisation of wheat yield under stress. The project aims to develop state-of-the-art monitoring and profiling capabilities for the quantitative assessment of plant growth performance in field and quasi-field environments under the abiotic stress conditions of drought and nutrient deficiency. This project involves the design and use of high resolution but low budget imaging stations to capture the growth of cereal plants in competitive environments. Novel computer vision and image processing techniques will be applied to the image data to quantitatively characterise the success of genetic varieties to tolerate abiotic stress environments under actual field conditions.Read moreRead less
Activating the female germline during plant development. This project aims to investigate the mechanistic basis for female germline formation in two plant species including barley, which is of agricultural relevance to Australia. This project’s approach will integrate novel regulatory genes and data from Arabidopsis and barley. This knowledge will provide significant benefits, such as novel reproductive strategies for crop improvement.