Chemistry of the Transport of Nutrient Copper in Biological Cells. Nutrient trace metals such as copper are needed for enzymes by living organisms but are toxic in excess. Defects in copper metabolism cause Menkes and Wilson diseases in humans and there are direct connections to neurodegenerative diseases (eg, Alzheimer, Parkinson, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, motor neuron diseases). It is crucial to understand how healthy cells control toxic but essential copper so that enlightened intervention is possib ....Chemistry of the Transport of Nutrient Copper in Biological Cells. Nutrient trace metals such as copper are needed for enzymes by living organisms but are toxic in excess. Defects in copper metabolism cause Menkes and Wilson diseases in humans and there are direct connections to neurodegenerative diseases (eg, Alzheimer, Parkinson, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, motor neuron diseases). It is crucial to understand how healthy cells control toxic but essential copper so that enlightened intervention is possible when disturbances of copper metabolism become pathological. The chemistry of key molecules will be studied to reveal their essential properties and thereby to understand the molecular basis of the copper-linked diseases.Read moreRead less
Molecular Characterisation of Metal Transport Proteins. The trace metals are essential to life. The secrets of their catalytic and structural roles are under intensive scrutiny. The molecular mechanisms which regulate concentrations of nutrient metals in biological cells remain poorly understood. Errors in metal metabolism cause disease. For example, defects in copper metabolism cause Menkes and Wilson diseases in humans and there are connections of copper and zinc to neuro-degenerative disea ....Molecular Characterisation of Metal Transport Proteins. The trace metals are essential to life. The secrets of their catalytic and structural roles are under intensive scrutiny. The molecular mechanisms which regulate concentrations of nutrient metals in biological cells remain poorly understood. Errors in metal metabolism cause disease. For example, defects in copper metabolism cause Menkes and Wilson diseases in humans and there are connections of copper and zinc to neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer and Creutzfeldt-Jakob (mad cow). This project will study the chemistry of metabolic pathways responsible for import of nutrient copper and other metals into biological cells.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100236
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$180,000.00
Summary
Facilities for spectroscopy and diffraction at high pressures. The provision of infrastructure for the study of novel materials under high pressures will enhance Australia's capability in creating new materials and in creating new devices that meet needs in communication, environment and medicine applications. The new facility will enable researchers to understand the response of structures to extreme pressures and will exploit the unique capabilities of the synchrotron light.
Molecular Probes for Bio-Metals. The nutrient trace metals are essential to life. Problems with the metabolism of iron, copper and zinc are associated with neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). This proposal will develop molecular probes for detection of iron, zinc, copper, manganese and nickel within biological cells. The work will allow examination of the molecular roles of these bio-metals in unprecedented detail and lead to a bette ....Molecular Probes for Bio-Metals. The nutrient trace metals are essential to life. Problems with the metabolism of iron, copper and zinc are associated with neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). This proposal will develop molecular probes for detection of iron, zinc, copper, manganese and nickel within biological cells. The work will allow examination of the molecular roles of these bio-metals in unprecedented detail and lead to a better understanding of their roles in normal metabolism and in disease.Read moreRead less
Catalytic currency: the role of size-reactivity relationships of simple and mixed 'coinage' metal clusters in C-C bond forming reactions. Chemicals have a profound influence on our daily lives. For instance, the petrol we use in our cars, the plastics used for our shopping bags or the margarine we eat. A common theme of all these products is the use of catalysts in their industrial manufacture. Thus, this Australian Research Council funded project aims to shed light on the role of some catalysts ....Catalytic currency: the role of size-reactivity relationships of simple and mixed 'coinage' metal clusters in C-C bond forming reactions. Chemicals have a profound influence on our daily lives. For instance, the petrol we use in our cars, the plastics used for our shopping bags or the margarine we eat. A common theme of all these products is the use of catalysts in their industrial manufacture. Thus, this Australian Research Council funded project aims to shed light on the role of some catalysts in breaking and forming chemical bonds and attempts to set rules to develop new and improved ones. Improved catalysts will not only reduce the cost of goods manufacturing, but will also reduce waste products and energy consumption. This research will also train new scientists and contribute to the enhancement of Australia's research profile.Read moreRead less
Understanding how cells store and use iron . This project aims to understand the mechanism and function of the protein nanocage, ferritin, which stores iron in the body ready for use on demand. Iron is an essential element, vital for wellbeing. To understand iron we need to understand ferritin. Despite being widely studied, how ferritin actually works remains unclear. This project aims to use an interdisciplinary approach combining protein biochemistry, spectroscopy, genetics and whole organism ....Understanding how cells store and use iron . This project aims to understand the mechanism and function of the protein nanocage, ferritin, which stores iron in the body ready for use on demand. Iron is an essential element, vital for wellbeing. To understand iron we need to understand ferritin. Despite being widely studied, how ferritin actually works remains unclear. This project aims to use an interdisciplinary approach combining protein biochemistry, spectroscopy, genetics and whole organism studies. It will develop new techniques to enable the physiological role of iron to be explored. Outcomes of this innovative platform are anticipated to include in-depth understanding of how ferritin functions to unravel its fundamental role in iron storage and release ready for re-use.Read moreRead less
Pushing the Boundaries of Multi-modal Biospectroscopic Microscopies. In order to understand the fundamentals of life processes, diseases, and their treatments, it is essential to probe fundamental changes in molecular processes in cells, tissues and whole organisms. Much of our understanding of these processes has involved the introduction of chemical probes for biospectroscopy, but these have inherent problems because the probe can often change the biochemistry that is being probed. This projec ....Pushing the Boundaries of Multi-modal Biospectroscopic Microscopies. In order to understand the fundamentals of life processes, diseases, and their treatments, it is essential to probe fundamental changes in molecular processes in cells, tissues and whole organisms. Much of our understanding of these processes has involved the introduction of chemical probes for biospectroscopy, but these have inherent problems because the probe can often change the biochemistry that is being probed. This project will push the boundaries of a variety of micro and nano "probe-free" microscopies to provide fundamental insights into these life processes, which could ultimately lead to improvements in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases.Read moreRead less
Nanosized peptide nucleic acid - metal complex hybrids as catalysts for the cleavage of phosphate ester bonds in biological molecules. The information from Human Genome Project is being used to generate molecules with a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The capability to design, synthesise and manipulate functional molecules that mimic biological processes will underpin many emerging applications. In this project, macrocyclic metal complexes that catalyse the cleavage of phosph ....Nanosized peptide nucleic acid - metal complex hybrids as catalysts for the cleavage of phosphate ester bonds in biological molecules. The information from Human Genome Project is being used to generate molecules with a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The capability to design, synthesise and manipulate functional molecules that mimic biological processes will underpin many emerging applications. In this project, macrocyclic metal complexes that catalyse the cleavage of phosphate ester bonds in biological molecules will be developed. Active complexes will be incorporated into nanosized peptide nucleic acid (PNA) - metal complex hybrids and applied as artificial enzymes in the sequence specific cleavage of RNA and DNA. Novel applications of these ?artificial enzymes? in biotechnology are anticipated.Read moreRead less
Redox sulphur chemistry in copper nutrition. Problems with metabolism of the nutrient metal copper are associated with many diseases including tuberculosis, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease. The project will examine the role of copper in unprecedented molecular detail to better understand its influence on normal metabolism and hence its impact on the diseases.
How does redox cycling drive the metabolism of the essential metals iron and copper? Iron and copper are essential metal nutrients but mishandling leads to cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological disease. Intriguingly, some enzymes handle both iron and copper and this project will develop new methods for their study. The work will lead ultimately to enlightened prevention and effective management of the multiple diseases.