Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100130
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$362,000.00
Summary
Control of plant mitochondrial metabolism by reversible enzyme acetylation. Plant metabolism is more complex and less well understood than metabolism in other groups such as animals or bacteria. Our lack of understanding of how plants control their metabolism is currently a major roadblock in the development and use of plants to produce increased quantities of nutritional, medicinal and chemical compounds. It was recently discovered that animal and bacterial cells coordinate the activity of cent ....Control of plant mitochondrial metabolism by reversible enzyme acetylation. Plant metabolism is more complex and less well understood than metabolism in other groups such as animals or bacteria. Our lack of understanding of how plants control their metabolism is currently a major roadblock in the development and use of plants to produce increased quantities of nutritional, medicinal and chemical compounds. It was recently discovered that animal and bacterial cells coordinate the activity of central metabolic pathways via a specific chemical modification (acetylation) of key enzymes. As enzyme acetylation may function in plant cells as well, this project aims to perform a fundamental yet practical assessment of how this mechanism works in plants and how it can be exploited to accurately manipulate plant metabolism.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102913
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Dissecting proteolytic pathways that control chloroplast degradation and leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana. Australian agriculture is threatened by worsening environmental conditions that cause premature ageing of plants leading to dramatic reductions in crop yields. This project aims to better understand plant senescence, thereby enabling the development of more robust and higher yielding crops.
The targeting of macromolecules to alter mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are essential organelles involved in energy production and specific metabolic pathways in plant cells that require the import of cytosolic transfer RNA (tRNA) to function. To date our knowledge on the mechanisms of tRNA import is limited. This project seeks to characterise putative receptors and mechanisms with the purpose of exploiting these insights to allow for the manipulation and modification of macromolecule targ ....The targeting of macromolecules to alter mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are essential organelles involved in energy production and specific metabolic pathways in plant cells that require the import of cytosolic transfer RNA (tRNA) to function. To date our knowledge on the mechanisms of tRNA import is limited. This project seeks to characterise putative receptors and mechanisms with the purpose of exploiting these insights to allow for the manipulation and modification of macromolecule targeting to mitochondria. The ability to modify or alter mitochondrial biogenesis and activity may allow for new approaches to be undertaken to increase plant growth, productivity and resistance to stress.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101096
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,220.00
Summary
Evolutionary Adaptation of the Chemical Language of Nutrient Acquisition Strategies in Higher Plants. The autotrophic and sessile nature of plants means that they need to respond to nutrient limitations in a finely tuned manner to grow and survive. Metabolites play an important role during these adaptations, either as direct modulators or as biochemical indicators of the pathways activated. Plants have evolved from relatively simple unicellular organisms that have a remarkable adaptability to re ....Evolutionary Adaptation of the Chemical Language of Nutrient Acquisition Strategies in Higher Plants. The autotrophic and sessile nature of plants means that they need to respond to nutrient limitations in a finely tuned manner to grow and survive. Metabolites play an important role during these adaptations, either as direct modulators or as biochemical indicators of the pathways activated. Plants have evolved from relatively simple unicellular organisms that have a remarkable adaptability to respond to their environment through metabolite-modulated quorum-sensing mechanisms. Preliminary evidence suggests that plants have either retained some of this ability or have evolved novel nutrient recognition strategies. This project will elucidate these pathways to gain new insights into nutrient acquisition in plants.Read moreRead less
Phosphorus-efficient Australian plants: applications for crop improvement. This project aims to investigate ways to improve the phosphorus (P) efficiency of selected crops (Lupinus) in Australia. The phosphorus impoverished soils in Australia has allowed the evolution of plants that are highly efficient at acquiring and using phosphorus. Increasing understanding of highly-efficient phosphorus use mechanisms at the physiological, biochemical, anatomical and molecular biological levels will provid ....Phosphorus-efficient Australian plants: applications for crop improvement. This project aims to investigate ways to improve the phosphorus (P) efficiency of selected crops (Lupinus) in Australia. The phosphorus impoverished soils in Australia has allowed the evolution of plants that are highly efficient at acquiring and using phosphorus. Increasing understanding of highly-efficient phosphorus use mechanisms at the physiological, biochemical, anatomical and molecular biological levels will provide knowledge of traits to guide breeding efforts to develop more phosphorus efficient crops that can perform well in P-limited environments; an outstanding strategy to balance the phosphorus demand for increasing global food production with gradually decreasing non-renewable phosphorus reserves. An expected outcome of this project is to develop crops better able to use scarce phosphorus.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100188
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$550,000.00
Summary
Terabase sequencing for mutant, developmental, environmental and population genomics. This facility will make it possible to completely sequence the genome (and epi-genome and transcriptome) of a large number of samples in a cost effective manner. This will provide researchers with unprecedented ability to compare individuals in a population and to discover and define novel traits which govern disease resistance, yield and population dynamics in natural systems.
Exploiting natural variation to discover tools to increase crop plant yield. This project aims to identify the specific biochemical and underlying molecular modifications that contributed to the evolution of the C4 pathway by studying C3, C4 and C3-C4 intermediate Flaveria species. Most land plants use C3 or C4 photosynthesis to assimilate CO2. Plants using the C4 pathway evolved from C3 ancestors in multiple plant lineages, and show higher rates of photosynthesis and conversion of solar radiati ....Exploiting natural variation to discover tools to increase crop plant yield. This project aims to identify the specific biochemical and underlying molecular modifications that contributed to the evolution of the C4 pathway by studying C3, C4 and C3-C4 intermediate Flaveria species. Most land plants use C3 or C4 photosynthesis to assimilate CO2. Plants using the C4 pathway evolved from C3 ancestors in multiple plant lineages, and show higher rates of photosynthesis and conversion of solar radiation to biomass in arid, high-light and saline environments, which are expanding due to global climate change. The outcomes of this project could define what is required to engineer plant varieties with increased yield and the ability to withstand effects of climate shift, and contribute to our understanding of convergent evolutionary processes.Read moreRead less
A novel DNA motif involved in plant mitochondrial stress responses. The future of Australia's agriculture is threatened by limited water resources, temperature extremes and soil salinity. This project aims to unravel how plants are able to adapt to this continuously changing environment, by focusing on the role of mitochondria - cellular compartments essential for energy metabolism and plant stress responses.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100044
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,000.00
Summary
New facilities for multiplex gas-exchange (MGX) measurements of plant performance during climate-controlled growth. Precise study of oxygen and carbon dioxide gas exchange can quantify the underlying factors responsible for plant growth. This dedicated facility will increase the scope and accuracy of Australian research into plant productivity thereby allowing improved understanding of factors affecting plants' adaptability to environmental change and plant competition or pathogen effects.
Advanced cryobanking for propagation-recalcitrant and critically endangered plant species. This project aims to advance methods for the conservation of recalcitrant/threatened plant species to achieve best practice ecological restoration in areas of high biodiversity. In particular, the nature of freezing and dehydration damage to cell membranes at various stages of tissue culture and cryopreservation will be investigated to try to minimise deleterious effects. In addition, metabolic changes tha ....Advanced cryobanking for propagation-recalcitrant and critically endangered plant species. This project aims to advance methods for the conservation of recalcitrant/threatened plant species to achieve best practice ecological restoration in areas of high biodiversity. In particular, the nature of freezing and dehydration damage to cell membranes at various stages of tissue culture and cryopreservation will be investigated to try to minimise deleterious effects. In addition, metabolic changes that affect cryogenic survival will be assessed to provide further insight into the role of oxidative stress and the toxicity of cryopreservation processes. Ultimately, improved cryogenic protocols will be developed to maintain the integrity of long-term cryobanks of key species for ecological restoration, such as in post-mined areas.Read moreRead less