System-level characterisation of the siphonophore, Indo-Pacific man o' war. The Indo-Pacific man o' war (bluebottle), is a cnidarian from the siphonophore order. These animals frequent Australian beaches in swarms and cause thousands of stings every year. The project proposes to profile the genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and proteome of the bluebottle to gain insight into its life cycle, its behaviour, and toxins. Expected outcomes include the generation of novel information related to bluebo ....System-level characterisation of the siphonophore, Indo-Pacific man o' war. The Indo-Pacific man o' war (bluebottle), is a cnidarian from the siphonophore order. These animals frequent Australian beaches in swarms and cause thousands of stings every year. The project proposes to profile the genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and proteome of the bluebottle to gain insight into its life cycle, its behaviour, and toxins. Expected outcomes include the generation of novel information related to bluebottle gene regulation and its toxin repertoire, which will be highly beneficial for the design of future sting treatment strategies. Given that the bluebottle is a colony made of functionally specialised polyps, this study will also provide significant novel insight into the origins and evolution of animal multicellularity.Read moreRead less
Charting the human epi-transcriptome. This project aims to use Oxford nanopore technologies and phage display technologies, to obtain quantitative, single-nucleotide resolution maps for any RNA modification of choice. This will allow systematic mapping of RNA modifications for which we currently lack transcriptome-wide maps, as well as investigate the roles, regulation and impact of RNA modifications in proper cellular functioning and cell differentiation. The project will provide significant be ....Charting the human epi-transcriptome. This project aims to use Oxford nanopore technologies and phage display technologies, to obtain quantitative, single-nucleotide resolution maps for any RNA modification of choice. This will allow systematic mapping of RNA modifications for which we currently lack transcriptome-wide maps, as well as investigate the roles, regulation and impact of RNA modifications in proper cellular functioning and cell differentiation. The project will provide significant benefits, such as to the economy by offering a cost-effective alternative to sequencing methods currently used to map DNA and RNA modifications.Read moreRead less
Silencing the X chromosome: why and how. The project aims to understand why we have X chromosome inactivation, and examine the fundamental molecular mechanisms of how it is achieved. The project will explore RNA-mediated epigenetic modification of whole chromosomes with innovative molecular methods in placental mammals, and also iconic Australian mammals, to transform our understanding of X chromosome inactivation. Further understanding whole chromosome silencing, will inform future research int ....Silencing the X chromosome: why and how. The project aims to understand why we have X chromosome inactivation, and examine the fundamental molecular mechanisms of how it is achieved. The project will explore RNA-mediated epigenetic modification of whole chromosomes with innovative molecular methods in placental mammals, and also iconic Australian mammals, to transform our understanding of X chromosome inactivation. Further understanding whole chromosome silencing, will inform future research into potential therapies for chromosomal trisomies.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101962
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,220.00
Summary
Functional epigenomics interrogation of DNA methylation dynamics during vertebrate development and evolution. DNA methylation (mC) is an epigenetic signal essential for the maintenance of correct gene expression patterns. To investigate the causal relationships between mC and transcription during vertebrate embryonic development and evolution, this project will perform high-resolution mC profiling at different stages of teleost, amphibian and mammalian development. Highly conserved and syntenic, ....Functional epigenomics interrogation of DNA methylation dynamics during vertebrate development and evolution. DNA methylation (mC) is an epigenetic signal essential for the maintenance of correct gene expression patterns. To investigate the causal relationships between mC and transcription during vertebrate embryonic development and evolution, this project will perform high-resolution mC profiling at different stages of teleost, amphibian and mammalian development. Highly conserved and syntenic, methylated sequences will then be used as baits in proteomics screens to identify novel 5mC 'readers'. The generation of genomic profiles of mC 'readers' and their integration with developmental mC maps will reveal transient epigenome dynamics during vertebrate embryogenesis and provide new insights into the conservation of these crucial developmental mechanisms.Read moreRead less
The characterization of tiny Ribonucleic acids in animal epigenetics. Epigenetics, the inheritance of traits not encoded in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), is not well understood in animals. This project will investigate two classes of Ribonucleic acid (RNA) that may form part of an animal-specific epigenetic regulatory system. This study could revolutionize our understanding of animal genetics.