Discovery of novel microRNA biogenesis and functional components. Discovery of novel microRNA components will provide new strategies for confronting a diverse array of challenges Australia faces, such as the increasing rates of certain cancers in our population, to stresses on our crop plants faced with environmental changes. The biological mechanisms underlying these disparate problems are unified by microRNA involvement in many instances. By finding microRNA controlling factors common to all h ....Discovery of novel microRNA biogenesis and functional components. Discovery of novel microRNA components will provide new strategies for confronting a diverse array of challenges Australia faces, such as the increasing rates of certain cancers in our population, to stresses on our crop plants faced with environmental changes. The biological mechanisms underlying these disparate problems are unified by microRNA involvement in many instances. By finding microRNA controlling factors common to all higher organisms, we expect our community will benefit from the increased knowledge base that will help our researchers adopt new strategies in fighting diseases and improving our agricultural industry.Read moreRead less
Regulation of Plant Development by Small RNAs. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a new field of research that is giving, and will continue to give profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The pro ....Regulation of Plant Development by Small RNAs. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a new field of research that is giving, and will continue to give profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The project will yield insights into fundamental biological processes which are expected to engender applications in agriculture and biotechnology. It will maintain and enhance Australia's position in this area.Read moreRead less
Small RNAs: what makes a plant, a plant. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a young field of research that is giving, and will continue to give, profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The projec ....Small RNAs: what makes a plant, a plant. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a young field of research that is giving, and will continue to give, profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The project will yield insights into fundamental biological processes which are expected to engender applications in agriculture and biotechnology. It will maintain and enhance Australia's position in this area.Read moreRead less
eSorghum as a bio-fuel feedstock for arid environments. Increasing fuel costs, finite resources and the need to develop more carbon neutral and cleaner fuels have created a need for renewable sources. Ethanol and future generation biofuels (butanol and more energy-rich alcohols) can be extracted from biomass sources. Sorghum is an ideal bioenergy feedstock in the hotter, drier areas of Northern Australia, where starch (grain), sugar and lignocellulose (stover) can be amassed in this water effi ....eSorghum as a bio-fuel feedstock for arid environments. Increasing fuel costs, finite resources and the need to develop more carbon neutral and cleaner fuels have created a need for renewable sources. Ethanol and future generation biofuels (butanol and more energy-rich alcohols) can be extracted from biomass sources. Sorghum is an ideal bioenergy feedstock in the hotter, drier areas of Northern Australia, where starch (grain), sugar and lignocellulose (stover) can be amassed in this water efficient plant. Identifying and manipulating the genes to enable the improvement of sorghum as a dedicated bioenergy crop, will enable the increased efficiency of the Australian biofuels industry and create sustainable rural industries.Read moreRead less