Mechanisms that control the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA mutations. How do humans and other organisms prevent the accumulation of dangerous mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) mutations across generations? This Project aims to uncover the cellular and molecular pathways that help prevent the inheritance of mtDNA mutations to offspring by employing cutting-edge genetic technologies that the laboratory has recently developed in the germline of an animal model system. This Project will generate new kn ....Mechanisms that control the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA mutations. How do humans and other organisms prevent the accumulation of dangerous mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) mutations across generations? This Project aims to uncover the cellular and molecular pathways that help prevent the inheritance of mtDNA mutations to offspring by employing cutting-edge genetic technologies that the laboratory has recently developed in the germline of an animal model system. This Project will generate new knowledge in the area of mitochondrial genetics and evolution. Expected outcomes include the development of new theories for mtDNA inheritance, which should provide significant benefits for agricultural breeding programs and the interpretation of mtDNA inheritance patterns in the human population.Read moreRead less
Regulation of mammalian differentiation by methylation of histones and transcription factors. The objective of this proposal is to examine the functional role of arginine and lysine methylation during skeletal muscle differentiation. Differentiation, i.e the acquisition of a specific phenotype, is the biological end point of the ?Genome-Phenome? transition. Specifically, the proposal will seek to understand the role of protein methylation in the control of tissue specific gene expression and ce ....Regulation of mammalian differentiation by methylation of histones and transcription factors. The objective of this proposal is to examine the functional role of arginine and lysine methylation during skeletal muscle differentiation. Differentiation, i.e the acquisition of a specific phenotype, is the biological end point of the ?Genome-Phenome? transition. Specifically, the proposal will seek to understand the role of protein methylation in the control of tissue specific gene expression and cell signaling during differentiation. Key areas of study in the ARC priority area of Genome-Phenome research. We will test the hypothesis that the activity/function of the hierarchical myogenic transcription factors and cofactors that control skeletal myogenesis is influenced by protein methylation.Read moreRead less
The genomics of adaptation in Wolbachia pipientis, an emerging biocontrol agent. Australians are increasingly exposed to insect-transmitted diseases such as dengue fever. Novel biocontrol methods using the bacterium Wolbachia aim to control insect populations to reduce disease transmission. Our research will be the first to investigate genomic variation and the process of adaptation to new insect hosts in Wolbachia. The novel data and understanding of evolutionary processes we generate will be c ....The genomics of adaptation in Wolbachia pipientis, an emerging biocontrol agent. Australians are increasingly exposed to insect-transmitted diseases such as dengue fever. Novel biocontrol methods using the bacterium Wolbachia aim to control insect populations to reduce disease transmission. Our research will be the first to investigate genomic variation and the process of adaptation to new insect hosts in Wolbachia. The novel data and understanding of evolutionary processes we generate will be critical for screening bacterial biocontrol candidates and designing biocontrol release strategies. It will also strengthen the position of Australian research as a world-leader in the fusion of post-genomics and applied microbiology. Read moreRead less
Investigating the role of gene loops in regulating gene expression. The ability to identify functional variants in regulatory elements will have implications for researchers in multiple fields of biology, from molecular medicine to agriculture. Transfer of expertise and application of the knowledge generated by our research to such fields stands to improve diagnosis of disease predisposition and to improve quality of animal and plant products. These outcomes will benefit all Australians. This kn ....Investigating the role of gene loops in regulating gene expression. The ability to identify functional variants in regulatory elements will have implications for researchers in multiple fields of biology, from molecular medicine to agriculture. Transfer of expertise and application of the knowledge generated by our research to such fields stands to improve diagnosis of disease predisposition and to improve quality of animal and plant products. These outcomes will benefit all Australians. This knowledge will also improve the education of Australian University students as it contributes to the development of advanced curricula and access to more powerful research methods. In addition, the project will foster important collaborations between Australian researchers and those overseas.Read moreRead less
Evolution of the biofabrication of mineralized structures in animals. Shells and skeletons are produced by a wide range of animals. These highly-order crystalline structures are genetically-encoded and produce high-performance composite materials that exceed present capabilities in human engineering. This international collaboration will elucidate the molecular mechanisms controlling the fabrication of these architectures. This knowledge will contribute significantly to the development of materi ....Evolution of the biofabrication of mineralized structures in animals. Shells and skeletons are produced by a wide range of animals. These highly-order crystalline structures are genetically-encoded and produce high-performance composite materials that exceed present capabilities in human engineering. This international collaboration will elucidate the molecular mechanisms controlling the fabrication of these architectures. This knowledge will contribute significantly to the development of materials for advanced electronics and energy transducers, human bone therapeutics and marine-based products such as pearls and cements, through the identification of genes underlying biofabrication networks and the development of in vitro bioproduction systems.Read moreRead less
Inter-kingdom signalling in animal health and disease. This project aims to understand how animals can control their bacterial associates. Animals evolved in a world dominated by bacteria, and intimately associated microbes affect the development, health and disease of all animals – from corals to man. To date, animal-microbe interactions have been studied nearly exclusively in terms of how bacteria affect animals. the researchers have discovered that the coral Acropora can control its associate ....Inter-kingdom signalling in animal health and disease. This project aims to understand how animals can control their bacterial associates. Animals evolved in a world dominated by bacteria, and intimately associated microbes affect the development, health and disease of all animals – from corals to man. To date, animal-microbe interactions have been studied nearly exclusively in terms of how bacteria affect animals. the researchers have discovered that the coral Acropora can control its associated bacteria. Understanding how a simple animal manipulates its microbial associates should have implications for coral disease and resilience and for health and disease across the animal kingdom.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101748
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$410,716.00
Summary
Discovering hidden control elements for crop improvement. Sustainable, productive agricultural processes are essential for tackling the challenges of tomorrow’s world. The ability to optimise beneficial agricultural traits depends on the precise control of genes in a crop plant’s enormous genome. Yet, identifying valuable gene control regions is like looking for needles in a haystack. The location of these regions is often not obvious and current detection technologies are impractically expensiv ....Discovering hidden control elements for crop improvement. Sustainable, productive agricultural processes are essential for tackling the challenges of tomorrow’s world. The ability to optimise beneficial agricultural traits depends on the precise control of genes in a crop plant’s enormous genome. Yet, identifying valuable gene control regions is like looking for needles in a haystack. The location of these regions is often not obvious and current detection technologies are impractically expensive and intensive. This project aims to develop a new technology that is expected to facilitate rapid and cost-effective discovery of all the control regions in a genome, enhancing our understanding of crop genomes and unlocking new avenues for agricultural improvement, food security and economic stability.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
Origin of genomically-encoded communication in animals: deciphering the role of peptide signalling in the sea sponge Amphimedon queenslandica. The purpose of this research is to understand the evolutionary origin and essential roles of peptide communication in humans and other animals. Knowledge gleaned from this study will shed light on how peptide signalling influences animal life at its most fundamental level, including potentially how abnormal cell communication causes disease.
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL110100044
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,001,626.00
Summary
Origin, evolution and roles of cardinal genomic features underpinning animal multicellular complexity. As the first genome project from our oceans, the sea sponge Amphimedon heralds a new era of marine science for Australia. Using post-genomic approaches, this project will show how studying marine organisms can produce the most fundamental insights into not only multicellular life but also into human diseases and cancer that originally evolved from our oceans.