Rnomics - The Role of Introns and Other Noncoding RNAs in the Evolution and Development of Complex Organisms. Approximately 98% of the transcriptional output of the human genome is noncoding RNA. The aims of the project are to (a) provide direct evidence that introns contain functional information and are part of an RNA-based regulatory network, (b) identify large numbers of new noncoding RNAs and substantiate the conclusion that noncoding RNAs genes are common in eukaryotic genomes, and (c) pr ....Rnomics - The Role of Introns and Other Noncoding RNAs in the Evolution and Development of Complex Organisms. Approximately 98% of the transcriptional output of the human genome is noncoding RNA. The aims of the project are to (a) provide direct evidence that introns contain functional information and are part of an RNA-based regulatory network, (b) identify large numbers of new noncoding RNAs and substantiate the conclusion that noncoding RNAs genes are common in eukaryotic genomes, and (c) provide supporting evidence that the higher eukaryotes have evolved a second tier of gene expression based on RNA. The project has the capacity to transform our understanding of genetic programming in the higher organisms, with considerable scientific and practical implications.Read moreRead less
Recombination of mitochondrial genomes: what can we learn from chigger mites? This project will bring three benefits to Australia. First, it will enhance Australia's research capacity in the fields of organelle genomics and evolutionary biology. Second, it will yield highly skilled young researchers: a postdoctoral fellow (Shao), a PhD student and two BSc Honours students. Third, it will generate new knowledge about genome recombination in animal mitochondria. Recombination is a fundamental, yet ....Recombination of mitochondrial genomes: what can we learn from chigger mites? This project will bring three benefits to Australia. First, it will enhance Australia's research capacity in the fields of organelle genomics and evolutionary biology. Second, it will yield highly skilled young researchers: a postdoctoral fellow (Shao), a PhD student and two BSc Honours students. Third, it will generate new knowledge about genome recombination in animal mitochondria. Recombination is a fundamental, yet poorly understood issue in mitochondrial genomics and evolutionary biology. Knowledge from this project will also improve our understanding of other important issues that are associated with animal mitochondria; like the mechanisms of mitochondrial disease and ageing, and the evolution of modern humans and other animals.Read moreRead less
Evolution of nervous system patterning processes: characterisation of homologs of key Drosophila regulatory genes from the coral Acropora. Defining the common mechanisms of nervous system development is one of the major goals of modern biology, but is presently being addressed largely by comparisons between a few very advanced (and therefore specialised) animals. Comparative data from a lower animal is urgently needed, and will clarify many aspects of nervous system evolution and development. Th ....Evolution of nervous system patterning processes: characterisation of homologs of key Drosophila regulatory genes from the coral Acropora. Defining the common mechanisms of nervous system development is one of the major goals of modern biology, but is presently being addressed largely by comparisons between a few very advanced (and therefore specialised) animals. Comparative data from a lower animal is urgently needed, and will clarify many aspects of nervous system evolution and development. The pioneering work carried out on Acropora in this laboratory suggests that it is perhaps the best choice currently available for this purpose. This project will use Acropora to address fundamental questions about the evolution of nervous system developmental processes.Read moreRead less
Origin of multicellularity in animals: identification and analysis of intercellular signalling pathways in a basal metazoan, the demosponge Reniera. The Reniera genome project is a multi-million dollar collaboration between JGI (US-DOE) and Australian scientists that will see the sequencing of the first Australian marine animal by 2006. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the origins of animals and contribute to the reconstruction of creatures that lived over 600 million ....Origin of multicellularity in animals: identification and analysis of intercellular signalling pathways in a basal metazoan, the demosponge Reniera. The Reniera genome project is a multi-million dollar collaboration between JGI (US-DOE) and Australian scientists that will see the sequencing of the first Australian marine animal by 2006. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the origins of animals and contribute to the reconstruction of creatures that lived over 600 million years ago. A major outcome of this reconstruction will be a fundamental understanding of how cells communicate with each other during the process of development to give rise to the diversity of cell types within multicellular animals. This study will also shed light on what happens when cell communication goes astray, as observed in a range of human malignancies, including cancer. Read moreRead less
Organisation, expression and diversity of the sub-telomeric regions of the ancient eukaryote, Giardia duodenalis. We propose to extend our findings on the extreme plasticity of the structure and organisation of the sub-telomeric region of the complete genome of Giardia by more extensive chromosome walking, and comparison of different isolates. These regions are subject to gene conversion, transcriptional silencing, gene mobility, recombination, variable surface protein expression, subtelomeric i ....Organisation, expression and diversity of the sub-telomeric regions of the ancient eukaryote, Giardia duodenalis. We propose to extend our findings on the extreme plasticity of the structure and organisation of the sub-telomeric region of the complete genome of Giardia by more extensive chromosome walking, and comparison of different isolates. These regions are subject to gene conversion, transcriptional silencing, gene mobility, recombination, variable surface protein expression, subtelomeric instability and the insertion of transposable elements, a dynamic balance between structural conservation and rapid evolution. This is a rare opportunity to understand the forces at work in moulding eukaryotic sub-telomeric sequences because Giardia is not constrained by sexual homogenisation and the dynamic variability is retained.Read moreRead less
Co-evolution of the host pathogen interaction between Leptosphaeria maculans and Brassica species. Brassica canola is Australia's third largest export crop, producing 13% of the world's canola oil. However, blackleg disease, caused by the fungus Leptospheria maculans leads to annual yield losses of 15%, with 100% loss associated with breakdown of resistance. International investment has provided novel genome resources for Brassica and L. maculans. Applying these resources to understand the co-ev ....Co-evolution of the host pathogen interaction between Leptosphaeria maculans and Brassica species. Brassica canola is Australia's third largest export crop, producing 13% of the world's canola oil. However, blackleg disease, caused by the fungus Leptospheria maculans leads to annual yield losses of 15%, with 100% loss associated with breakdown of resistance. International investment has provided novel genome resources for Brassica and L. maculans. Applying these resources to understand the co-evolution of this plant-fungal interaction could prevent the current boom-bust cycle of canola production in Australia. This study will also provide a model and knowledge base for applications in other species, leading to enhanced crops with increased plant protection and robust, reliable productivity.Read moreRead less
Cellular determinants of retrotransposition. This project aims to understand the processes that control retrotransposition in a genome. Transposable elements make up more than 50% of human genomes. The accumulation of retrotransposons through millions of years of evolution has shaped the genomes of all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Researchers have elucidated mechanisms the host uses to defend the genome against insertional mutagenesis by retrotransposons, but the cellular machinery an ....Cellular determinants of retrotransposition. This project aims to understand the processes that control retrotransposition in a genome. Transposable elements make up more than 50% of human genomes. The accumulation of retrotransposons through millions of years of evolution has shaped the genomes of all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Researchers have elucidated mechanisms the host uses to defend the genome against insertional mutagenesis by retrotransposons, but the cellular machinery and genomic environments needed for retrotransposition are undefined. This project aims to use models to uncover the mechanisms that control retrotransposition. This is expected to reveal more about human origins.Read moreRead less
Intron encoded RNA regulatory networks in yeast. This project has the capacity to transform our understanding of the evolution, development and genetic variation of complex organisms, as well as the self-organization of complex systems in general. The national and community benefits of the project will be to maintain Australian leadership in advanced genetics and genome-phenome informatics. It will provide a platform for many applications in biology and biotechnology, including new genetic diagn ....Intron encoded RNA regulatory networks in yeast. This project has the capacity to transform our understanding of the evolution, development and genetic variation of complex organisms, as well as the self-organization of complex systems in general. The national and community benefits of the project will be to maintain Australian leadership in advanced genetics and genome-phenome informatics. It will provide a platform for many applications in biology and biotechnology, including new genetic diagnostics and an informed basis for the engineering of complex traits in agriculture. The project will also provide insights into the structure of biological communication and control systems with applications in information science and the programming of integrated complex systems in other domains.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347875
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$280,000.00
Summary
Enhanced genetic analysis facilities at James Cook University. The acquisition of molecular data, DNA sequences or allele frequencies, is the major requirement of almost all laboratory research in the life sciences, and is the rate-limiting step for many research projects locally. The current application underpins novel research initiatives at James Cook University, and is intended to provide centralized state-of-the-art high throughput DNA sequencing and genotyping facility for the north Queens ....Enhanced genetic analysis facilities at James Cook University. The acquisition of molecular data, DNA sequences or allele frequencies, is the major requirement of almost all laboratory research in the life sciences, and is the rate-limiting step for many research projects locally. The current application underpins novel research initiatives at James Cook University, and is intended to provide centralized state-of-the-art high throughput DNA sequencing and genotyping facility for the north Queensland life sciences community.Read moreRead less
Deciphering the regulatory principles of metazoan development. This proposal aims to elucidate how regulatory elements in the genome, known as enhancers, determine the identity and function of animal tissues. Currently, it is believed that enhancers cannot be traced across evolutionarily distant animals. The project uses novel concepts, computational and molecular approaches to identify deeply conserved enhancers. It further dissects the mechanism of function by proteomics and high-throughput ge ....Deciphering the regulatory principles of metazoan development. This proposal aims to elucidate how regulatory elements in the genome, known as enhancers, determine the identity and function of animal tissues. Currently, it is believed that enhancers cannot be traced across evolutionarily distant animals. The project uses novel concepts, computational and molecular approaches to identify deeply conserved enhancers. It further dissects the mechanism of function by proteomics and high-throughput genomics. The expected outcomes will overturn our current view on enhancer evolution and reposition our understanding of how enhancers are functionally encoded in the genome. The work is an important contribution to understanding cellular complexity and species evolution with wide-ranging impact in genetics.Read moreRead less