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Characterisation of PQ loop proteins in plants: are they voltage insensitive nonselective cation channels? Millions of hectares of Australian agricultural land are affected by salinity. This results in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year. The identification of the pathway for the initial influx of Na+ into plants from the soil will be important in helping to develop crop plants that are salt tolerant. This will increase our understanding of the mechanisms of salinity ....Characterisation of PQ loop proteins in plants: are they voltage insensitive nonselective cation channels? Millions of hectares of Australian agricultural land are affected by salinity. This results in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year. The identification of the pathway for the initial influx of Na+ into plants from the soil will be important in helping to develop crop plants that are salt tolerant. This will increase our understanding of the mechanisms of salinity tolerance, an area of great importance to Australian agriculture and environmental sustainability. The future applications of this work will increase agricultural productivity and enhance the quality of life for both Australians and the international community.Read moreRead less
Synthetic biology tools for integration into bacterial chromosomes. The aim of the project is to develop a set of versatile chromosomal integration tools for bacteria, enabling rapid development of novel biological outputs. A major goal in the emerging discipline of synthetic biology is to apply engineering principles to the design and construction of new biological entities such as proteins, genetic circuits and cells. Custom-designed genetic circuits, integrated in an appropriate host genome, ....Synthetic biology tools for integration into bacterial chromosomes. The aim of the project is to develop a set of versatile chromosomal integration tools for bacteria, enabling rapid development of novel biological outputs. A major goal in the emerging discipline of synthetic biology is to apply engineering principles to the design and construction of new biological entities such as proteins, genetic circuits and cells. Custom-designed genetic circuits, integrated in an appropriate host genome, hold enormous economic potential for applications ranging from biomedicine to biofuel production. This project aims to help synthetic biologists to embed made-to-order circuits in appropriate host cells to act as living factories, potentially replacing industrial processes which are currently environmentally and economically costly.Read moreRead less
The rational design and construction of new genetic circuits for applications in synthetic biology. By designing, building and testing new gene control modules, this project will gain an understanding of the design principles required for the construction of biological circuits with predictable and controllable behaviour. The ability to build such circuits will have significant economic benefit in areas such as metabolic engineering and biomedicine.
Regulatory mechanisms for calcium release-activated calcium channels. Store-operated calcium channels play a central role in the functions of all animal cells. They participate in generating the cellular responses to hormones, growth factors and other physiological stimuli. The aims of this project are to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate the activity of store-operated channels and how their properties can be modulated by different pharmacological agents. Using chiefly the techniques of ele ....Regulatory mechanisms for calcium release-activated calcium channels. Store-operated calcium channels play a central role in the functions of all animal cells. They participate in generating the cellular responses to hormones, growth factors and other physiological stimuli. The aims of this project are to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate the activity of store-operated channels and how their properties can be modulated by different pharmacological agents. Using chiefly the techniques of electrophysiology and molecular biology we expect to learn the fundamental mechanisms that modulate the opening and closing of store-operated calcium channels and to gain an important information that can be used for determining the molecular structure of these channelsRead moreRead less
The diversity and assembly of optics in nature. Optics, such as the design of new coloured reflectors, is a research strength for Australia. A reason for this is the potential for application - optical devices can be found far and wide in our everyday lives, from security devices on banknotes (holograms), to computer monitors (LCDs). An interesting parallel exists in nature - animals possess similar optical devices to those we use. So it makes sense to examine the animals' devices in a search fo ....The diversity and assembly of optics in nature. Optics, such as the design of new coloured reflectors, is a research strength for Australia. A reason for this is the potential for application - optical devices can be found far and wide in our everyday lives, from security devices on banknotes (holograms), to computer monitors (LCDs). An interesting parallel exists in nature - animals possess similar optical devices to those we use. So it makes sense to examine the animals' devices in a search for new reflectors, and that's an aim of this project. And since reflectors are often difficult to make, why not let animals make reflectors for us? That is a further aim of this project. Soon we may have genetically-altered butterfly scales embedded in our credit cards that cannot be counterfeited.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100202
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$255,120.00
Summary
Three-dimensional cryo correlative light and electron microscopy facility. This project aims to establish a three-dimensional (3D) cryo-correlative light and electron microscopy facility. The facility will integrate light microscopy with high resolution cryo-electron tomography and 3D slice-and-view focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy. The open access facility should create new capabilities for Australian researchers to tag biological events and structures with fluorescence markers and ....Three-dimensional cryo correlative light and electron microscopy facility. This project aims to establish a three-dimensional (3D) cryo-correlative light and electron microscopy facility. The facility will integrate light microscopy with high resolution cryo-electron tomography and 3D slice-and-view focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy. The open access facility should create new capabilities for Australian researchers to tag biological events and structures with fluorescence markers and image them using the currently highest resolution 3D imaging techniques for biological matter. The facility expects to reveal fundamental insights into cell and structural biology, and help drive innovation in agriculture, pharmaceutics, and biomaterials.Read moreRead less
Elucidating the mechanisms of mitochondrial DNA escape. The human body is powered by mitochondria, microscopic components of living cells that make the energy they need to function. Mitochondrial damage is linked to a wide spectrum of human diseases, from devastating syndromic illnesses to neurodegeneration and autoimmunity. This project is focused on 1) how stresses such as cancer therapy or infection cause mitochondrial damage, and 2) understanding the biological processes that are triggered i ....Elucidating the mechanisms of mitochondrial DNA escape. The human body is powered by mitochondria, microscopic components of living cells that make the energy they need to function. Mitochondrial damage is linked to a wide spectrum of human diseases, from devastating syndromic illnesses to neurodegeneration and autoimmunity. This project is focused on 1) how stresses such as cancer therapy or infection cause mitochondrial damage, and 2) understanding the biological processes that are triggered inside the cell as it tries to recover. It will give a much greater understanding of mitochondrial damage at the microscopic level, and has the potential to unlock new avenues of investigation into the causes of inflammatory and immune disorders.Read moreRead less
Second messenger-activated calcium channels in liver cells. This project concerns second messenger-activated calcium channels, part of the family of hormone-activated calcium channels which are essential to the functions of all animal cells. The aims are to elucidate the properties of a novel "large conductance" Ca2+ channel (using maitotoxin as an artificial activator), an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-activated calcium channel, and the calcium channel formed by the transient receptor potential ....Second messenger-activated calcium channels in liver cells. This project concerns second messenger-activated calcium channels, part of the family of hormone-activated calcium channels which are essential to the functions of all animal cells. The aims are to elucidate the properties of a novel "large conductance" Ca2+ channel (using maitotoxin as an artificial activator), an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-activated calcium channel, and the calcium channel formed by the transient receptor potential-1 (TRP-1) protein in hepatocytes. The electrophysiological properties, mechanisms of activation and intracellular trafficking of the channels will be investigated. It is anticipated the results will provide basic information on the physiological functions of second messenger-activated calcium channels. This will benefit the understanding of liver function, hepatotoxicity in animals, animal production and the development of pharmaceuticals in animal husbandary.Read moreRead less
Rational design of genetic circuits that respond to transient signals. Engineered genetic circuits with predictable and robust behaviour promise unprecedented environmental and economic benefits. Yet much work remains to be done before living devices can routinely be built from a standarised set of biological parts - the goal of synthetic biologists. By studying how natural genetic switch circuits respond to transient signals, this project aims to uncover a set of design rules which could be use ....Rational design of genetic circuits that respond to transient signals. Engineered genetic circuits with predictable and robust behaviour promise unprecedented environmental and economic benefits. Yet much work remains to be done before living devices can routinely be built from a standarised set of biological parts - the goal of synthetic biologists. By studying how natural genetic switch circuits respond to transient signals, this project aims to uncover a set of design rules which could be used to construct and control purpose-built genetic networks and pathways. The results of this project are expected to add to the molecular tookit available to synthetic biologists.Read moreRead less
The bHLH.PAS transcription factors: Determinants of dimerization specificity and high affinity DNA binding. This program of fundamental research will advance our knowledge of the way essential proteins act to correctly regulate critical biological processes. A detailed understanding of these processes at the molecular level has the potential to contribute to the design of pharmaceutical compounds to assist in the treatment of diseases such as ischaemia, myocardial infarction and tumour progress ....The bHLH.PAS transcription factors: Determinants of dimerization specificity and high affinity DNA binding. This program of fundamental research will advance our knowledge of the way essential proteins act to correctly regulate critical biological processes. A detailed understanding of these processes at the molecular level has the potential to contribute to the design of pharmaceutical compounds to assist in the treatment of diseases such as ischaemia, myocardial infarction and tumour progression. The work will contribute to the training of one or more graduate students in a technologically advancing and internationally competitive field.Read moreRead less