Developing the dunnart as a marsupial model for conservation research. The Australian bushfire crisis of 2020 has taken an enormous toll on our unique wildlife. With no halt in sight to rising global temperatures, more extreme weather events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity. We simply must act now to preserve our unique native mammals in Australia and safeguard against species loss and irreversible declines in genetic diversity. This project will develop methods for the genera ....Developing the dunnart as a marsupial model for conservation research. The Australian bushfire crisis of 2020 has taken an enormous toll on our unique wildlife. With no halt in sight to rising global temperatures, more extreme weather events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity. We simply must act now to preserve our unique native mammals in Australia and safeguard against species loss and irreversible declines in genetic diversity. This project will develop methods for the generation and preservation of stem cells from a range of our most endangered and vulnerable marsupial species. These cells not only allow us to ‘bank’ species and genetic diversity but also provide a route to enabling genetic manipulation, opening up a completely new niche for conservation biology in marsupials.Read moreRead less
Exploring protease inhibitors in placental development and maturation. The placenta is essential for reproduction in many diverse species. This project aims to elucidate fundamental contributions of protease inhibitors and the proteases they target to placental development and maturation. It is expected to generate new knowledge around whether SPINTS play a fundamental role in disparate animals that independently derived a placenta, suggesting convergent genetic evolution. The project is expect ....Exploring protease inhibitors in placental development and maturation. The placenta is essential for reproduction in many diverse species. This project aims to elucidate fundamental contributions of protease inhibitors and the proteases they target to placental development and maturation. It is expected to generate new knowledge around whether SPINTS play a fundamental role in disparate animals that independently derived a placenta, suggesting convergent genetic evolution. The project is expected to result in disciplinary collaboration, produce novel models, and promote future projects in many species. The project should result in significant benefits toward advancing knowledge in reproductive biology, have economic and commercial benefits, and further enhance Australia's outstanding reputation in the field.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101394
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Early developmental influences on neocortical organisation. This project seeks to identify the influence of preceding developmental stages on the correct formation of the brain. Development is a sequence of transformations where every stage depends on the outcome of previous stages. The project intends to examine how the early sensory periphery, early-born brain circuits, and intrinsic neuronal interactions affect the subsequent organisation of the cerebral cortex – a mammal-specific brain regio ....Early developmental influences on neocortical organisation. This project seeks to identify the influence of preceding developmental stages on the correct formation of the brain. Development is a sequence of transformations where every stage depends on the outcome of previous stages. The project intends to examine how the early sensory periphery, early-born brain circuits, and intrinsic neuronal interactions affect the subsequent organisation of the cerebral cortex – a mammal-specific brain region responsible for perception, motor planning and cognition. It expects to provide novel mechanistic and conceptual insights into the process of normal brain development and more general biological phenomena, such as development and evolution. It may also provide insights into several genetic and non-genetic causes of brain malformations.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100006
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$383,872.00
Summary
Determining the regulation of ovary development with single cell sequencing. This project will greatly advance our understanding of ovary development and mammalian reproduction. I will investigate the process of ovarian primordial follicle activation including its genetic regulation, the importance of supportive granulosa cells and the biological significance of regulatory factors. This will be achieved through the comprehensive investigation of a single cell transcriptomic dataset of ovarian de ....Determining the regulation of ovary development with single cell sequencing. This project will greatly advance our understanding of ovary development and mammalian reproduction. I will investigate the process of ovarian primordial follicle activation including its genetic regulation, the importance of supportive granulosa cells and the biological significance of regulatory factors. This will be achieved through the comprehensive investigation of a single cell transcriptomic dataset of ovarian development (Aim 1) in conjunction with functional studies (Aim 2). The outcomes of which will hold significant benefit to animal reproduction through new strategies to improve livestock productivity and control invasive pest species. These outcomes are of economic and environmental and benefit nationally.Read moreRead less
Placental nutrient transport shows how complex traits evolve. This project aims to use amino acid transport in the vertebrate placenta as a model to demonstrate how genes are recruited and modified to produce a major organ. Using an innovative combination of a new technology, selected reaction monitoring, and transcriptomic and molecular approaches, plus carefully selected Australian species pairs, this project will study the evolution of a complex trait (placental amino acid transport). The pr ....Placental nutrient transport shows how complex traits evolve. This project aims to use amino acid transport in the vertebrate placenta as a model to demonstrate how genes are recruited and modified to produce a major organ. Using an innovative combination of a new technology, selected reaction monitoring, and transcriptomic and molecular approaches, plus carefully selected Australian species pairs, this project will study the evolution of a complex trait (placental amino acid transport). The project will provide fundamental advances in our knowledge of the nutrient transport during pregnancy that is required to produce a healthy baby.Read moreRead less
Macrophage control of mammalian growth and development. The immediate postnatal period in mammals is crucial for survival, long term health and productivity. This project is an international collaboration that aims to investigate how cells of the innate immune system called macrophages control somatic growth and development of mature organ function in the early postnatal period. The project aims to build upon investment in new animals models and a novel discovery to generate significant new know ....Macrophage control of mammalian growth and development. The immediate postnatal period in mammals is crucial for survival, long term health and productivity. This project is an international collaboration that aims to investigate how cells of the innate immune system called macrophages control somatic growth and development of mature organ function in the early postnatal period. The project aims to build upon investment in new animals models and a novel discovery to generate significant new knowledge that will challenge current concepts of mammalian growth control. The outcomes will enhance Australia's international reputation in the fields of physiology, immunology and developmental biology. Read moreRead less
Normal heart development before birth. This project aims to understand how the fetal heart can develop normally with much less oxygen than an adult heart uses. Regulation of fetal heart proliferation is not well understood but changes in oxygen levels and non-coding RNAs are implicated. Using advanced imaging techniques to measure blood flow in blood vessels to the fetal heart and molecular probes to assess cell function and microarrays to measure non-coding RNA, the project expects to generate ....Normal heart development before birth. This project aims to understand how the fetal heart can develop normally with much less oxygen than an adult heart uses. Regulation of fetal heart proliferation is not well understood but changes in oxygen levels and non-coding RNAs are implicated. Using advanced imaging techniques to measure blood flow in blood vessels to the fetal heart and molecular probes to assess cell function and microarrays to measure non-coding RNA, the project expects to generate new knowledge about mechanisms of fetal heart cell proliferation. Ultimately, this new knowledge could lead to non-invasive approaches to detect and treat abnormal fetal heart growth in animals and humans.Read moreRead less
Size matters, but at what cost? Role of male sex hormones in the placenta. This project aims to understand molecular pathways regulated by male sex hormones in the placenta that may contribute to sex-specific fetal growth and survival outcomes in response to reduced oxygen and/or glucose. Through this project, we expect to generate new knowledge of the mechanisms that drive sex-specific placental molecular function using interdisciplinary approaches. The application of this advanced understandin ....Size matters, but at what cost? Role of male sex hormones in the placenta. This project aims to understand molecular pathways regulated by male sex hormones in the placenta that may contribute to sex-specific fetal growth and survival outcomes in response to reduced oxygen and/or glucose. Through this project, we expect to generate new knowledge of the mechanisms that drive sex-specific placental molecular function using interdisciplinary approaches. The application of this advanced understanding of the sex-specific regulation of placental molecular function and fetal growth may be targeted in future studies to improve fetal growth outcomes in placental mammals such as livestock, domestic pets, and humans.Read moreRead less
Lively reproduction: do common molecules underlie all vertebrate live birth? Most animals lay eggs, but some (most mammals, including humans and some reptiles) give birth to live young. This project will reveal the molecules underlying the evolution of live birth and fundamental processes of early pregnancy, which potentially will lead to future developments in reproductive science.
How are sperm mitochondria eliminated after fertilisation . The fact that mitochondria are inherited exclusively through the maternal germ-line is fundamental feature of sexual reproduction in all but a few organisms. This uni-parental inheritance is thought to prevent genetic conflict between different mitochondrial genomes. The mechanisms controlling uniparental inheritance involve eliminating the sperm mitochondria soon after fertilisation. We will investigate 2 possible mechanisms, (1) acti .... How are sperm mitochondria eliminated after fertilisation . The fact that mitochondria are inherited exclusively through the maternal germ-line is fundamental feature of sexual reproduction in all but a few organisms. This uni-parental inheritance is thought to prevent genetic conflict between different mitochondrial genomes. The mechanisms controlling uniparental inheritance involve eliminating the sperm mitochondria soon after fertilisation. We will investigate 2 possible mechanisms, (1) active destruction and (2) passive dilution. The results will help explain how heteroplasmy is avoided in order to maintain the fitness of organisms including animals and humans. The results will have long term insights into improving breeding in agriculture and in the prevention of mitochondrial genetic disease.Read moreRead less