Targeting of lipid transfer proteins and other secreted plant defence proteins by pathogen effectors. Australia depends on plant products for much of its export income and plant diseases are a continual threat to these earnings. New insights into plant disease resistance mechanisms will provide new opportunities to find solutions to disease problems. Often this involves transfer of knowledge gained in simple model plant systems to more complicated crop plant systems. Work on the role of lipid tr ....Targeting of lipid transfer proteins and other secreted plant defence proteins by pathogen effectors. Australia depends on plant products for much of its export income and plant diseases are a continual threat to these earnings. New insights into plant disease resistance mechanisms will provide new opportunities to find solutions to disease problems. Often this involves transfer of knowledge gained in simple model plant systems to more complicated crop plant systems. Work on the role of lipid transfer proteins in the tomato model system will advance our knowledge of fundamental disease and disease resistance processes and ultimately enable technological innovations to improve disease resistance, reduce pesticide usage and lower crop production costs.Read moreRead less
The molecular basis for oocyst and cyst wall formation in apicomplexan parasites. Apicomplexan parasites such as Eimeria, Neospora, Toxoplasma and Plasmodium are single celled organisms - protozoa - that cause some of the most serious infectious diseases of livestock and humans ever known. Transmission of these parasites is dependent on their ability to encase themselves in protective structures known as oocyst or cyst walls. These walls are resistant to harsh environmental conditions, chemicals ....The molecular basis for oocyst and cyst wall formation in apicomplexan parasites. Apicomplexan parasites such as Eimeria, Neospora, Toxoplasma and Plasmodium are single celled organisms - protozoa - that cause some of the most serious infectious diseases of livestock and humans ever known. Transmission of these parasites is dependent on their ability to encase themselves in protective structures known as oocyst or cyst walls. These walls are resistant to harsh environmental conditions, chemicals and attack by the immune system. We will discover and characterise the molecular basis for cyst wall formation. This fundamental knowledge will be the building block for new, highly specific drugs and vaccines to control these extremely important pathogens.Read moreRead less