Regulation of principal components of the antioxidant system in table grapes. An expanded ?health-claims? system will likely be enacted by Food Standards Australia New Zealand within two years. Horticultural industries are attracted to the promotional ?point of difference? this offers. Many health-promoting compounds are antioxidants, including polyphenols that are abundant in fruit such as grape and citrus. Antioxidants are also involved in the plant's defences against abiotic and biotic stres ....Regulation of principal components of the antioxidant system in table grapes. An expanded ?health-claims? system will likely be enacted by Food Standards Australia New Zealand within two years. Horticultural industries are attracted to the promotional ?point of difference? this offers. Many health-promoting compounds are antioxidants, including polyphenols that are abundant in fruit such as grape and citrus. Antioxidants are also involved in the plant's defences against abiotic and biotic stress. Here, the WA Table Grape industry has committed funds for an APAI to study regulation of antioxidants in relation to nutritional and postharvest qualities. Effects of preconditioning with mild oxidative stresses will be assayed, postharvest, using molecular and biochemical techniques.Read moreRead less
New biotech methods for crop quality assurance. Quality assurance of crop products is a key for Australia to be competitive in the world marketplace. The power of molecular diagnostics has not been applied to this important but neglected part of the produce handling chain. In this project research will be undertaken that will lead to low cost on site assays to test for variety preservation, contamination, and presence of pests and diseases. It employs the tools of genomics and proteomics to p ....New biotech methods for crop quality assurance. Quality assurance of crop products is a key for Australia to be competitive in the world marketplace. The power of molecular diagnostics has not been applied to this important but neglected part of the produce handling chain. In this project research will be undertaken that will lead to low cost on site assays to test for variety preservation, contamination, and presence of pests and diseases. It employs the tools of genomics and proteomics to provide basic understanding of processes which can be developed into cost effective analyses for practical use by industry to ensure quality assurance.Read moreRead less
Role of mRNA polyadenylation control in gene expression. Several benefits would come from a more complete understanding of the function of the messenger RNA poly(A) tail. It is frequently targeted by mechanisms that control cellular protein synthesis. This is most evident in developmental biology, where tail length control regulates maternal mRNA expression. Our previous work suggests that it has much wider importance for cellular function than previously thought and thus its study will produce ....Role of mRNA polyadenylation control in gene expression. Several benefits would come from a more complete understanding of the function of the messenger RNA poly(A) tail. It is frequently targeted by mechanisms that control cellular protein synthesis. This is most evident in developmental biology, where tail length control regulates maternal mRNA expression. Our previous work suggests that it has much wider importance for cellular function than previously thought and thus its study will produce knowledge of broad relevance to modern life sciences and its applications in medicine and biotechnology. Finally, a better understanding of yeast cellular biology is of benefit to the food and biotechnology sector of industry.Read moreRead less
Application of genome-wide transcriptional analysis to identifying genetic markers for industrial fermentation processes. This project aims to identify yeast genes involved in the response of commercial strains to stress, to determine their role in fermentation and the genetic pathways through which they operate. The ultimate goals are to determine the impact on fermentation activity of stress, and to develop predictive methods for assessing such conditions. This has significance since stress ....Application of genome-wide transcriptional analysis to identifying genetic markers for industrial fermentation processes. This project aims to identify yeast genes involved in the response of commercial strains to stress, to determine their role in fermentation and the genetic pathways through which they operate. The ultimate goals are to determine the impact on fermentation activity of stress, and to develop predictive methods for assessing such conditions. This has significance since stress during fermentation represents a significant commercial loss. The outcomes of this work will be a better understanding of how yeast responds to stress, and the identification of genes that can be used by the commercial partner to monitor and ensure fermentation efficiency.Read moreRead less
Determining the sequence of events during eukaryotic translation initiation. Multiple benefits will arise from a more complete understanding of translation initiation. It is a frequent target for mechanisms that control gene expression and its dys-regulation is associated with human disease. For example, this is evident in cancer biology, since altered translation is a frequent cause of tumorigenesis. Translation is of universal importance for cellular function and knowledge of how it works is c ....Determining the sequence of events during eukaryotic translation initiation. Multiple benefits will arise from a more complete understanding of translation initiation. It is a frequent target for mechanisms that control gene expression and its dys-regulation is associated with human disease. For example, this is evident in cancer biology, since altered translation is a frequent cause of tumorigenesis. Translation is of universal importance for cellular function and knowledge of how it works is central to modern life sciences and its application to medical and biotechnological problems. Finally, a better understanding of yeast cellular biology is of benefit to the food and biotechnology sector of industry.Read moreRead less