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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101648
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,000.00
Summary
A novel mechanism for the control of growth factor activity. Growth factors are secreted signalling molecules that govern fundamental biological processes such as cell growth, proliferation and death. The mechanism for growth factor control by a Membrane Attack Complex/Perforin-like (MACPF) protein is highly novel as MACPF proteins typically function to kill pathogens during the vertebrate immune response. This project aims to reveal how the MACPF protein Torso-like controls highly localised gro ....A novel mechanism for the control of growth factor activity. Growth factors are secreted signalling molecules that govern fundamental biological processes such as cell growth, proliferation and death. The mechanism for growth factor control by a Membrane Attack Complex/Perforin-like (MACPF) protein is highly novel as MACPF proteins typically function to kill pathogens during the vertebrate immune response. This project aims to reveal how the MACPF protein Torso-like controls highly localised growth factor signalling, using the sophisticated genetic and advanced imaging methods possible in the fruit fly Drosophila. This project aims to understand growth factor control as its deregulation leads to serious developmental disorders and diseases.Read moreRead less
A novel regulator of growth signalling in Drosophila. This project aims to increase understanding of how growth is regulated by growth factor hormones. In animals, growth is controlled by signalling pathways that are activated by secreted peptide hormones. A new regulator of growth in the fruitfly Drosophila, the membrane attack complex/perforin-like (MACPF) protein Torso-like, has been identified. The project aims to unravel how Torso-like functions to regulate growth, thus throwing light on th ....A novel regulator of growth signalling in Drosophila. This project aims to increase understanding of how growth is regulated by growth factor hormones. In animals, growth is controlled by signalling pathways that are activated by secreted peptide hormones. A new regulator of growth in the fruitfly Drosophila, the membrane attack complex/perforin-like (MACPF) protein Torso-like, has been identified. The project aims to unravel how Torso-like functions to regulate growth, thus throwing light on the role this protein family may play in all animals. The findings are expected to provide key insights into the modification of growth factor activity, which is often dysregulated in human cancers and growth disorders, and may enable the design of new strategies for interfering with insect development for pest control.Read moreRead less
The evolution of Membrane Attack Complex / Perforin-like proteins in development and immunity. Membrane Attack Complex/Perforin-like (MACPF) proteins commonly play key roles in vertebrate immunity, however some family members play critical but poorly understood developmental roles. It has been shown that the sole Drosophila MACPF protein, Torsolike, plays both developmental and immune roles. Here the aim to unravel how Torsolike functions in these dual roles by using a novel genetic screening ap ....The evolution of Membrane Attack Complex / Perforin-like proteins in development and immunity. Membrane Attack Complex/Perforin-like (MACPF) proteins commonly play key roles in vertebrate immunity, however some family members play critical but poorly understood developmental roles. It has been shown that the sole Drosophila MACPF protein, Torsolike, plays both developmental and immune roles. Here the aim to unravel how Torsolike functions in these dual roles by using a novel genetic screening approach to identify genes needed for its function. The project also uses comparative studies to probe alternative functions of Torsolike in a second insect, the honeybee. This data will be pivotal for understanding how members of this family have evolved into proteins that are separately involved in immune defense and in development in higher vertebrates.Read moreRead less
Membrane attack complex/perforin-like proteins in developmental and neurobiology. This project will aim to use the fruit fly as a model system to understand how members of the perforin-like superfamily, a family of proteins more usually associated with mammalian immunity, function in embryonic and neural development. These data will eventually provide central insight into human diseases such as cancer and autism spectrum disorder.
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL180100019
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,906,976.00
Summary
An in situ structural study of Drosophila embryonic patterning. This project aims to develop and deploy an in situ structural biology approach, which enables direct visualisation of large macromolecular structures in cells, to be used in combination with molecular genetics, proteomics and computational biology. In situ structural biology has the potential to revolutionise discovery across life science, providing direct insight into macromolecular structure and function. This project will establi ....An in situ structural study of Drosophila embryonic patterning. This project aims to develop and deploy an in situ structural biology approach, which enables direct visualisation of large macromolecular structures in cells, to be used in combination with molecular genetics, proteomics and computational biology. In situ structural biology has the potential to revolutionise discovery across life science, providing direct insight into macromolecular structure and function. This project will establish the field of in situ structural biology in Australia by studying how a model organism, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster controls the development of how the head and tail of the embryo are specified. The project will further develop new instrumentation and approaches that will bring in situ biology to the wider scientific community.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100167
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Molecular signals guiding dynamic cell movement during blood vessel growth. This project aims to discover how cells interact within the developing blood vessel sprout. Blood vessels form complex branched networks composed of arteries, capillaries and veins that supply oxygen and nutrients to all body tissues. The development and maintenance of blood vessels depends on the coordination of movement and adhesion between individual endothelial cells in the vessel wall, but the signals controlling th ....Molecular signals guiding dynamic cell movement during blood vessel growth. This project aims to discover how cells interact within the developing blood vessel sprout. Blood vessels form complex branched networks composed of arteries, capillaries and veins that supply oxygen and nutrients to all body tissues. The development and maintenance of blood vessels depends on the coordination of movement and adhesion between individual endothelial cells in the vessel wall, but the signals controlling these actions are unknown. This project aims to reveal how the vascular tree forms during development, which is expected to improve the engineering of functional, vascularised organs in the biotech sector.Read moreRead less
Decoding the rules of fate, attraction and cell migration in perciform fish. This project will interrogate primordial germ cell migration to reveal new insights into the molecular basis of cell migration and chemosensory communication. Key residues needed for ligand-receptor binding and environmental impacts on migration will be investigated with valuable implications in reproductive developmental biology and applied science.