Subterranean invertebrate communities of arid zone Western Australia: diversity, assessment and food-web structure. The diverse and unique subterranean fauna associated with aquifers of the Western Australia arid zone is potentially threatened by water extraction, mining and other human impacts. This project aims to apply a powerful combination of molecular genetic analyses and compound specific isotope analyses to study, for the first time, the food web structure and source of energy of these g ....Subterranean invertebrate communities of arid zone Western Australia: diversity, assessment and food-web structure. The diverse and unique subterranean fauna associated with aquifers of the Western Australia arid zone is potentially threatened by water extraction, mining and other human impacts. This project aims to apply a powerful combination of molecular genetic analyses and compound specific isotope analyses to study, for the first time, the food web structure and source of energy of these groundwater ecosystems. The project aims to also develop novel procedures for monitoring their biodiversity using environmental DNA within the groundwater. The results will provide crucial information for the management of groundwater, and conservation of their associated ecosystems, and significantly improve the rigour of long-term environmental monitoring.Read moreRead less
Genomics for persistence of Australian freshwater fish. Biodiversity faces an unpredictable cocktail of impacts and global environmental change, against which the best insurance is genetic diversity. We will develop genomic measures of ecological-genetic functions and evolutionary potential for managing Australian freshwater fish.
Restoration genetics of five endangered fish species from the Murray-Darling Basin. Extended drought and environmental degradation have caused unprecedented loss of aquatic biodiversity in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), Australia's most important agricultural region. This project will reduce the risk of extinction of two endangered and three critically endangered freshwater fish species from the lower MDB. It will provide major benefits to the broader Australian community by addressing governme ....Restoration genetics of five endangered fish species from the Murray-Darling Basin. Extended drought and environmental degradation have caused unprecedented loss of aquatic biodiversity in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), Australia's most important agricultural region. This project will reduce the risk of extinction of two endangered and three critically endangered freshwater fish species from the lower MDB. It will provide major benefits to the broader Australian community by addressing government policies regarding sustainable water management in rural areas, biodiversity protection and recovery of threatened species. The study will also increase the research profile of Australia in the international scientific community by improving our understanding about genetic diversity in captive breeding and restoration programs.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775778
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,000.00
Summary
A microarray platform for gene expression analysis and genotyping in biological systems. This technology has substantial benefits for basic science and biotechnology. The ability to rapidly study changes in gene expression in living organisms will benefit agriculture, animal and biomedical science and biotechnology. The Affymetrix platform creates opportunities for new avenues of research, such as studying epigenetic (DNA and protein modifications) mechanisms in development, ageing and disease. ....A microarray platform for gene expression analysis and genotyping in biological systems. This technology has substantial benefits for basic science and biotechnology. The ability to rapidly study changes in gene expression in living organisms will benefit agriculture, animal and biomedical science and biotechnology. The Affymetrix platform creates opportunities for new avenues of research, such as studying epigenetic (DNA and protein modifications) mechanisms in development, ageing and disease. The project falls within the designated national research priority areas of 'promoting and maintaining good health" and the priority goals of "a healthy start to life", "aging well", "aging productively" and "preventative health care."Read moreRead less
Comparative Evolutionary Genomics of Australian Rainbowfishes. This project aims to use an evolutionarily young and ecologically important fish clade to understand adaptive resilience and to test predictions derived from the 'climatic variability hypothesis' for the major climatic regions of mainland Australia. Correlative surveys along landscapes and mechanistic experimental studies will be integrated to implement a comparative evolutionary genomics framework capable of assessing the genetic ba ....Comparative Evolutionary Genomics of Australian Rainbowfishes. This project aims to use an evolutionarily young and ecologically important fish clade to understand adaptive resilience and to test predictions derived from the 'climatic variability hypothesis' for the major climatic regions of mainland Australia. Correlative surveys along landscapes and mechanistic experimental studies will be integrated to implement a comparative evolutionary genomics framework capable of assessing the genetic basis of adaptation and the evolutionary resilience of populations and lineages. This is expected to clarify climatic and geographic correlates of adaptation across a vast area of Australia and to disentangle responses to environmental change in an emerging model system for adaptation research.Read moreRead less
Single minded 1 in neuron development and satiety signalling. An understanding of how Single minded 1 (SIM1) regulates target genes may allow new pharmaceutical approaches to be designed to combat obesity. As Sim1 belongs to a family of closely related gene regulatory proteins which function in early development and homeostasis, deciphering the molecular control mechanisms of Sim1 may help understand how the related factors function in processes such as angiogenesis, response to low oxygen stres ....Single minded 1 in neuron development and satiety signalling. An understanding of how Single minded 1 (SIM1) regulates target genes may allow new pharmaceutical approaches to be designed to combat obesity. As Sim1 belongs to a family of closely related gene regulatory proteins which function in early development and homeostasis, deciphering the molecular control mechanisms of Sim1 may help understand how the related factors function in processes such as angiogenesis, response to low oxygen stress, invasion of environmental pollutants and autism spectrum diseases. The ability to manipulate these factors would be of great benefit in treating a range of disorders, but a thorough molecular understanding of these factors needs be obtained prior to attempting design of pharmaceuticals.Read moreRead less
The role of the neuronal Hu proteins in the regulation of the BMP signalling pathway. We aim to understand the critical decision of a neural progenitor to commit to becoming a neuron. The BMP signalling pathway is central in this decision. Neural progenitors appear to become insensitive to BMP signals, and this lack of signalling leads to neuronal differentiation. We hypothesise that neuronal identity is regulated by an unusual genetic switch- the translational regulation by the neuronal Hu pr ....The role of the neuronal Hu proteins in the regulation of the BMP signalling pathway. We aim to understand the critical decision of a neural progenitor to commit to becoming a neuron. The BMP signalling pathway is central in this decision. Neural progenitors appear to become insensitive to BMP signals, and this lack of signalling leads to neuronal differentiation. We hypothesise that neuronal identity is regulated by an unusual genetic switch- the translational regulation by the neuronal Hu proteins of two proteins in the BMP pathway. Verification of a post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism for cell fate determination would be a major discovery, and may prompt investigation of how to harness the neuron-inducing function of the Hu proteins to address the therapeutic need for new neurons in neurologic diseases.Read moreRead less
The genomics of adaptation to environmental change in an ecologically important non-model aquatic organism. Understanding whether natural populations will be able to adapt to rapid environmental change is a major research priority in the twenty-first-century. This project will answer fundamental questions about adaptation and will contribute towards the sustainable management of both aquatic biodiversity and water resources in Australia.
Truncating presenilin mutations and their effects on gamma-secretase activity, tau and beta-catenin - insights into Alzheimers disease and cancer. Cancer and dementia are primarily afflictions of the aged and are increasingly important in an aging Australian population. 95% of all Alzheimer's disease is spontaneous (not inherited) but we know little about the molecular mechanisms underlying it. Our discovery that truncated presenilin proteins potently inhibit normal protein function suggests tha ....Truncating presenilin mutations and their effects on gamma-secretase activity, tau and beta-catenin - insights into Alzheimers disease and cancer. Cancer and dementia are primarily afflictions of the aged and are increasingly important in an aging Australian population. 95% of all Alzheimer's disease is spontaneous (not inherited) but we know little about the molecular mechanisms underlying it. Our discovery that truncated presenilin proteins potently inhibit normal protein function suggests that changes in presenilin function in aged cells might be a common molecular link between spontaneous and inherited Alzheimer's disease and could contribute to frontotemporal dementia and cancer. Our research will show whether this phenomenon might provide a breakthrough in our understanding of these diseases and be a productive area for research into their amelioration and/or prevention.Read moreRead less
The transcriptional control of lymphatic vessel development. Lymphatic vessels are a vital, but often overlooked, component of the cardiovascular system. These specialised vessels return tissue fluid to the bloodstream, absorb dietary lipids and transport cells of the immune system throughout the body. Defects in the growth and development of lymphatic vessels result in disorders including lymphedema, obesity, inflammatory diseases and cancer. This project aims to define how transcription factor ....The transcriptional control of lymphatic vessel development. Lymphatic vessels are a vital, but often overlooked, component of the cardiovascular system. These specialised vessels return tissue fluid to the bloodstream, absorb dietary lipids and transport cells of the immune system throughout the body. Defects in the growth and development of lymphatic vessels result in disorders including lymphedema, obesity, inflammatory diseases and cancer. This project aims to define how transcription factors program lymphatic vessel identity and control the development of lymphatic vessel valves. This knowledge will provide new insight into the fundamental mechanisms by which the lymphatic vasculature is constructed during development.Read moreRead less