Nuclear structure and function in the nucleated planctomycete bacterium Gemmata obscuriglobus: a third cell plan for living organisms? The project will contribute knowledge of how cells such as those of animals and plants evolved from bacterial components. Origins of cell nuclei and pores in nuclear membranes will be studied via the simple eukaryote-like nucleus of the planctomycete Gemmata obscuriglobus, from Australian freshwater. Simple nuclear pore-like structures of G. obscuriglobus will he ....Nuclear structure and function in the nucleated planctomycete bacterium Gemmata obscuriglobus: a third cell plan for living organisms? The project will contribute knowledge of how cells such as those of animals and plants evolved from bacterial components. Origins of cell nuclei and pores in nuclear membranes will be studied via the simple eukaryote-like nucleus of the planctomycete Gemmata obscuriglobus, from Australian freshwater. Simple nuclear pore-like structures of G. obscuriglobus will help understanding nucleus function in animal cells, and such pores will give insight into 'minimal' composition needed for cell nuclei, and allow design of biological nanopores. The origin of the nucleus is a major problem in biology, and an Australian contribution to its solution will achieve international recognition. Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354702
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Australian Microbial Resources Research Network. The Australian Microbial Resources Research Network will provide integrated access to Australian collections of microorganisms and electronic access to bioinformation databases to meet national strategic needs for microbiological resources and to support the competitive development of the life sciences and biotechnology industries in Australia. The network will promote collaborative interactions and accelerate the discovery of Australian microorg ....Australian Microbial Resources Research Network. The Australian Microbial Resources Research Network will provide integrated access to Australian collections of microorganisms and electronic access to bioinformation databases to meet national strategic needs for microbiological resources and to support the competitive development of the life sciences and biotechnology industries in Australia. The network will promote collaborative interactions and accelerate the discovery of Australian microorganisms and microbial genomic information for innovative biotechnology and create new opportunities for bioindustries. The Network will link researchers and foster the discovery and exploitation of Australian microbial resources and make these resources and associated information available for applications in research, industry and education.Read moreRead less
The evolution of bacterial pathogenesis: a genomic approach. The outcome of this research will be a better understanding of the genes involved with adaptation to particular pathogenic lifestyles. Specifically, genes that are rapidly evolving in selected bacterial pathogens of medical and veterinary importance will be identified using a bioinformatics approach that exploits the existence of multiple closely-related genome sequences. Such genes encode potential new targets for therapeutic interv ....The evolution of bacterial pathogenesis: a genomic approach. The outcome of this research will be a better understanding of the genes involved with adaptation to particular pathogenic lifestyles. Specifically, genes that are rapidly evolving in selected bacterial pathogens of medical and veterinary importance will be identified using a bioinformatics approach that exploits the existence of multiple closely-related genome sequences. Such genes encode potential new targets for therapeutic intervention that provide alternatives in the face of emerging antibiotic resistance. Importantly, the methodology developed in this project is broadly applicable to the study of evolution of bacterial pathogenesis in any background: medical, agricultural or horticultural.Read moreRead less
Understanding the role of a newly recognised retrovirus in the induction of cancer and immunosuppressive disease in koalas. Leukaemia, lymphoma and opportunistic infections are major causes of mortality in both captive and wild koala populations. It is our hypothesis that a recently discovered retrovirus is responsible for these disease syndromes. Using a multidisciplinary approach, this project will determine viral parameters that correlate with the disease status of koalas and lead to improvem ....Understanding the role of a newly recognised retrovirus in the induction of cancer and immunosuppressive disease in koalas. Leukaemia, lymphoma and opportunistic infections are major causes of mortality in both captive and wild koala populations. It is our hypothesis that a recently discovered retrovirus is responsible for these disease syndromes. Using a multidisciplinary approach, this project will determine viral parameters that correlate with the disease status of koalas and lead to improvements in diagnosis and management of disease in koala populations. The planned research will also provide some insight into cross-species transmission of retroviruses.Read moreRead less
Molecular Cell Biology and Comparative Genomics Of Planctomycetes and Verrucomicrobia In Relation To Evolution Of Cytoskeletal Proteins and Membrane-bounded Compartments. Planctomycetes and verrucomicrobia are evolutionarily distinct groups of bacteria which possess unusual cell structure and which share some significant genes important in cell biology with eukaryotes e.g. in verrucomicrobia the cytoskeleton protein tubulin. These bacteria are important for understanding the transition from no ....Molecular Cell Biology and Comparative Genomics Of Planctomycetes and Verrucomicrobia In Relation To Evolution Of Cytoskeletal Proteins and Membrane-bounded Compartments. Planctomycetes and verrucomicrobia are evolutionarily distinct groups of bacteria which possess unusual cell structure and which share some significant genes important in cell biology with eukaryotes e.g. in verrucomicrobia the cytoskeleton protein tubulin. These bacteria are important for understanding the transition from non-nucleated cells with simple cell division to nucleated cells with chromosome separation via cytoskeletal protein movement.The project will compare genomes of of planctomycetes and verrucomicrobia to determine their relationship, determine whether the tubulin homolog of verrucomicrobia can form cytoskeleton structures, and characterize the cytoskeleton of ammonium-oxidizing planctomycetes used in wastewater treatment.Read moreRead less
Development and implementation of biodiversity information for sustainable management of South Australian groundwater. Clean potable water is one of the most important resources for human health and a successful economy. Increasingly, subterranean aquifers are used for storage and recovery of water. These aquifers contain dynamic ecosystems, but little is known about species composition or about the importance of the presence of various species for water quality. We will use the latest laborator ....Development and implementation of biodiversity information for sustainable management of South Australian groundwater. Clean potable water is one of the most important resources for human health and a successful economy. Increasingly, subterranean aquifers are used for storage and recovery of water. These aquifers contain dynamic ecosystems, but little is known about species composition or about the importance of the presence of various species for water quality. We will use the latest laboratory techniques and DNA identification methods to provide a template for determining ground water diversity and food web dynamics throughout Australia. This project will lead to a better understanding of how to manage ground water in a sustainable manner.Read moreRead less
Microbial Ecology and Control of Foaming in Anaerobic Digesters. One of the world's most common treatments of biosolids (product of wastewater treatment), anaerobic digestion often suffers from accumulation of biological foam. This foam hinders treatment, personnel health and safety, legal requirements for environmental protection are jeopardised and attempts to control digester foaming are costly. There is a clear lack of knowledge about the organisms involved and causes, therefore no informe ....Microbial Ecology and Control of Foaming in Anaerobic Digesters. One of the world's most common treatments of biosolids (product of wastewater treatment), anaerobic digestion often suffers from accumulation of biological foam. This foam hinders treatment, personnel health and safety, legal requirements for environmental protection are jeopardised and attempts to control digester foaming are costly. There is a clear lack of knowledge about the organisms involved and causes, therefore no informed solutions exist. Molecular DNA techniques, 16SrDNA sequencing and DGGE, will assist in deciphering causes and organisms involved. Research outcomes will present environmental, legal and economical acceptable control strategies for digester foaming to the waste management and water industries.Read moreRead less
An evolutionary landscape to better predict our future climate. Soil microbial communities are the most complicated and difficult to study on Earth, but their effects on our climate are profound. This project will examine the evolution of microorganisms and their viruses in soil using novel methods. It will uncover how the evolution of one microbial species influences the evolution of other community members. It will also apply a new model of evolution to the viruses that infect these microorgan ....An evolutionary landscape to better predict our future climate. Soil microbial communities are the most complicated and difficult to study on Earth, but their effects on our climate are profound. This project will examine the evolution of microorganisms and their viruses in soil using novel methods. It will uncover how the evolution of one microbial species influences the evolution of other community members. It will also apply a new model of evolution to the viruses that infect these microorganisms, constructing a viral ‘tree of life’. This improved fundamental understanding of soil communities will be used to study climate feedback from permafrost wetlands, a key and poorly constrained input of global climate models, improving predictions of our future climate.Read moreRead less
Toward a complete view of life on earth via single cell genomics. Genome sequencing has revolutionised biology, but for most microorganisms this revolution has not arrived because the majority cannot be grown in the laboratory. This project will address this grand challenge by targeted sequencing of single cells from the environment that will fill in many major gaps in the microbial tree of life.
Bringing Archaeal biodiversity to life from native Australian herbivores . The aim of this project is to provide deep functional understanding of our recent discovery of novel microbes from the Domain Archaea that inhabit the digestive tracts of native Australian herbivores. These animals are unique natural resources of great cultural, environmental, and economic significance, but increasingly susceptible to habitat change and degradation. Very little is currently known about the microbes that h ....Bringing Archaeal biodiversity to life from native Australian herbivores . The aim of this project is to provide deep functional understanding of our recent discovery of novel microbes from the Domain Archaea that inhabit the digestive tracts of native Australian herbivores. These animals are unique natural resources of great cultural, environmental, and economic significance, but increasingly susceptible to habitat change and degradation. Very little is currently known about the microbes that have co-evolved with these animals, to support their nutrition and health. The project will address these knowledge gaps, and the ensuing discoveries are expected to deliver products and services relevant to environmental health assessment and sustaining the "low methane carbon economy" attributed to these iconic species.Read moreRead less