Information theoretic approaches to optimise genome wide association studies with application to continuous and discrete traits. This project aims to develop new mathematical methods to find genetic associations from new genome-wide studies of colorectal cancer and breast cancer risk factors. If successful, this will result in improved use of expensive genetic data to better predict and understand diseases, conditions and other characteristics for humans, animals and plants.
Structure and function of a new class of multi-zinc finger (MZF) transcriptional regulators. An understanding of how genes are switched on and off during the development and lifetime of an organism is central to developing the ability to fight many diseases in a rational way. This project will advance our knowledge in this area at a fundamental molecular level by examining the mechanisms through which a specific set of proteins controls gene expression.
The molecular control of lymphatic vascular differentiation. This project aims to improve our understanding of how a new vascular system forms and the molecules that control this process. Lymphatic vasculature plays roles in fluid drainage, inflammation, obesity, metastasis and tissue repair, yet we cannot readily promote or inhibit lymphatic vessel formation. This project aims to build new knowledge that is expected to improve our ability to generate lymphatic vessels for stem cell application ....The molecular control of lymphatic vascular differentiation. This project aims to improve our understanding of how a new vascular system forms and the molecules that control this process. Lymphatic vasculature plays roles in fluid drainage, inflammation, obesity, metastasis and tissue repair, yet we cannot readily promote or inhibit lymphatic vessel formation. This project aims to build new knowledge that is expected to improve our ability to generate lymphatic vessels for stem cell applications, tissue engineering, tissue repair and regeneration. This project will use zebrafish embryos, new genomic datasets and novel tools to uncover the genetic control of this process, and should have implications in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, repair and regeneration.Read moreRead less
Understanding how cells compact and segregate DNA in vertebrates. How a cell compacts and divides its DNA is still a major unanswered question in biology. This project will determine the way in which a cell compacts its DNA nearly ten thousand fold to allow the faithful and accurate segregation to daughter nuclei.
CD151 and functional overlap in tetraspanins. The applicants are currently world leaders in the tetraspanin field. This project will enhance existing international collaborations to maintain and increase the applicants', and hence Australia's, international standing in this field and Australia's reputation in cell and molecular biology in general.
The project will greatly increase our understanding of this important but poorly understood family of proteins. It will also provide training opport ....CD151 and functional overlap in tetraspanins. The applicants are currently world leaders in the tetraspanin field. This project will enhance existing international collaborations to maintain and increase the applicants', and hence Australia's, international standing in this field and Australia's reputation in cell and molecular biology in general.
The project will greatly increase our understanding of this important but poorly understood family of proteins. It will also provide training opportunities for postgraduate students in state-of-the-art approaches in biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Adaptive Evolution of BRCA1 in Ancestral Mammals. This project investigates adaptive evolution of BRCA1 in the early radiation of mammals. We will test the hypothesis that the evolution of mammary glands and X chromosome inactivation has resulted in modification of the BRCA1 protein sequence as it aquired new roles in these processes. We will also investigate the importance of these changes inducing compensatory changes in other parts of the protein.
Regulation of the EphA3 receptor tyrosine kinase in vertebrate development. The Eph/ephrin system has a critical role in normal embryonic development. Amongst vertebrates, the EphA3 gene is one of the most highly conserved genes in this system with critical roles in development of the visual system and in other developmental processes. Understanding how this gene is regulated will help us to understand the critical role of EphA3 in the basic biology of humans and other animals. This knowledge ma ....Regulation of the EphA3 receptor tyrosine kinase in vertebrate development. The Eph/ephrin system has a critical role in normal embryonic development. Amongst vertebrates, the EphA3 gene is one of the most highly conserved genes in this system with critical roles in development of the visual system and in other developmental processes. Understanding how this gene is regulated will help us to understand the critical role of EphA3 in the basic biology of humans and other animals. This knowledge may also shed light on the basis of congenital abnormalities and other pathological processes and possibly help us to understand how to prevent or treat these conditions.Read moreRead less
The MYB gene as a model for global transcriptional regulation: stopping, starting and looping. This project will study how transcriptional elongation controls the MYB gene, a key regulator of normal and cancerous growth and regulation. There are three major benefits that are likely to flow from the proposed research It will strengthen research in new and important areas of transcriptional regulation, by building research capacity in Australia in the area of gene expression, particularly with res ....The MYB gene as a model for global transcriptional regulation: stopping, starting and looping. This project will study how transcriptional elongation controls the MYB gene, a key regulator of normal and cancerous growth and regulation. There are three major benefits that are likely to flow from the proposed research It will strengthen research in new and important areas of transcriptional regulation, by building research capacity in Australia in the area of gene expression, particularly with respect to transcriptional elongation and long-range regulation. It will highlight a new approach to the therapeutic targeting of MYB in cancer: data generated from this research may enable us to target MYB expression in a range of cancers including breast cancer by inhibiting transcriptional elongation. And it will provide training in advanced molecular biology to postdoctoral scientists and students.Read moreRead less
A multi-model approach to characterise conserved regulators of lymphatic vascular development. Lymphatic vessels are important in a number of diseases affecting Australia. There is a significant gap in our basic knowledge of how lymphatic vessels form. This study will characterise key genes that control lymphatic development, providing a base of knowledge contributing to the promotion and maintenance of good health in Australia.
Identifying genes causing thermal evolution of ectotherm body size. Cold-blooded animals increase in body size as they are found in populations at greater distances from the equator. These patterns are due to populations adapting to temperature. The aim of this project is to identify the genes involved in this adaptation process. We will do this by taking advantage of a well-studied body size cline in the vinegar fly on the east coast of Australia, and by building on an international collaborati ....Identifying genes causing thermal evolution of ectotherm body size. Cold-blooded animals increase in body size as they are found in populations at greater distances from the equator. These patterns are due to populations adapting to temperature. The aim of this project is to identify the genes involved in this adaptation process. We will do this by taking advantage of a well-studied body size cline in the vinegar fly on the east coast of Australia, and by building on an international collaboration between a leading UK and two Australian research groups. In doing so we will provide an explanation at the molecular level for one of the great unresolved phenomena in biology: why do cold-blooded animals get bigger in the cold? The research also leads to the potential to manipulate body size in animals.Read moreRead less