Marsupial germ cells and genes. Germ cells are the most fascinating cells in the body, since theirs is the unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation. Studies in mice have suggested that position in the embryo determines their origin, but the early embryology of the mouse is so different from that of other mammals that the events need confirming and extending in another species. The simplified embryology of the tammar wallaby makes it ideal for studying one of the ....Marsupial germ cells and genes. Germ cells are the most fascinating cells in the body, since theirs is the unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation. Studies in mice have suggested that position in the embryo determines their origin, but the early embryology of the mouse is so different from that of other mammals that the events need confirming and extending in another species. The simplified embryology of the tammar wallaby makes it ideal for studying one of the most fundamental questions in the whole of biology: what is the basis for the primal distinction between sex and soma?Read moreRead less
Re-uniting marsupials and eutherians by embryonic micromanipulation. The unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation normally depends on the gametes. This project will use new reproductive technologies to investigate the properties of the oocyte in reprogramming somatic cell nuclei, and will use the nuclei of both marsupial and eutherian somatic cells to test this. We will also use both marsupial and eutherian genes to insert into the oocyte to create the first tra ....Re-uniting marsupials and eutherians by embryonic micromanipulation. The unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation normally depends on the gametes. This project will use new reproductive technologies to investigate the properties of the oocyte in reprogramming somatic cell nuclei, and will use the nuclei of both marsupial and eutherian somatic cells to test this. We will also use both marsupial and eutherian genes to insert into the oocyte to create the first transgenic marsupials. We will also investigate the ability of spermatozoa from species of increasing genetic distance to ferttilise marsupial eggs using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).Read moreRead less
CX3C chemokine signalling in the olfactory epithelium and its role in the self regeneration of the olfactory system. The current proposal will explore new venues in adult neural stem cell research and contribute to the further development of molecular biology and neuroscience research in Western Australia and Australia. The use of neural stem cells holds therapeutic promise for the treatment of a wide variety of neurological conditions, including neurotrauma and stroke. The proposed research wil ....CX3C chemokine signalling in the olfactory epithelium and its role in the self regeneration of the olfactory system. The current proposal will explore new venues in adult neural stem cell research and contribute to the further development of molecular biology and neuroscience research in Western Australia and Australia. The use of neural stem cells holds therapeutic promise for the treatment of a wide variety of neurological conditions, including neurotrauma and stroke. The proposed research will provide new data on the fundamental cellular and molecular events that are required to trigger the birth, differentiation and conditions for growth of new neurons in the adult nervous system. The generation of such insights will be critical for any translational research.
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Genes to phenotype: Exploiting the marsupial model. This research will exploit one of Australia's finest natural resources, its marsupial fauna. The features of marsupial reproduction and development provide a unique opportunity to answer fundamental biological questions. This research will show how the minor differences in key developmental genes that have arisen in their 100 million year isolation give rise to the characteristic differences in developmental timing and reproduction between mar ....Genes to phenotype: Exploiting the marsupial model. This research will exploit one of Australia's finest natural resources, its marsupial fauna. The features of marsupial reproduction and development provide a unique opportunity to answer fundamental biological questions. This research will show how the minor differences in key developmental genes that have arisen in their 100 million year isolation give rise to the characteristic differences in developmental timing and reproduction between marsupials and other mammals. The focus on reproduction and development will also provide invaluable knowledge to underpin efforts to conserve our endangered species and to control those that are overabundant.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354622
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
Genes and Environment in Development. Interactions between the early environment and the genetic regulatory program of the early embryo have major consequences for the development of individuals. The aim of this Network is to harness the resources of leading researchers from the previously distinct disciplines of developmental biology and developmental physiology to better understand developmental regulatory networks and how environmental factors impinge on them. The formation of such a Network ....Genes and Environment in Development. Interactions between the early environment and the genetic regulatory program of the early embryo have major consequences for the development of individuals. The aim of this Network is to harness the resources of leading researchers from the previously distinct disciplines of developmental biology and developmental physiology to better understand developmental regulatory networks and how environmental factors impinge on them. The formation of such a Network is unique, timely and strategic in that it will generate new insights into the mechanisms by which events in early life determine the risk of adverse outcomes in perinatal and adult life.Read moreRead less
ARC/NHMRC Research Network in Genes and Environment in Development. Interactions between the early environment and the genetic regulatory program of the developing organism have major consequences for the lifetime health of individuals. The primary objective of the Network in Genes and Environment in Development is to harness the resources of leading researchers from the currently distinct disciplines of developmental biology and developmental physiology to define key developmental regulatory ne ....ARC/NHMRC Research Network in Genes and Environment in Development. Interactions between the early environment and the genetic regulatory program of the developing organism have major consequences for the lifetime health of individuals. The primary objective of the Network in Genes and Environment in Development is to harness the resources of leading researchers from the currently distinct disciplines of developmental biology and developmental physiology to define key developmental regulatory networks and to address how environmental factors impinge on these regulatory networks. The formation of this National Research Network is unique, timely and strategic. It will generate new insights into the mechanisms by which events in early life determine the risk of adverse outcomes in perinatal and adult life.Read moreRead less
Extrinsic Control of Mammalian Germ Cell Delineation. Australia is a leader in the recent exciting breakthroughs in reproduction and development, such as cloning and embryonic stem cell propagation, and understanding how germ cells are specified would help us understand the biology underlying specification and developmental potential of all cells. This research will continue to contribute to maintaining Australia's high reputation in advances in reproductive biology. In addition, a greater under ....Extrinsic Control of Mammalian Germ Cell Delineation. Australia is a leader in the recent exciting breakthroughs in reproduction and development, such as cloning and embryonic stem cell propagation, and understanding how germ cells are specified would help us understand the biology underlying specification and developmental potential of all cells. This research will continue to contribute to maintaining Australia's high reputation in advances in reproductive biology. In addition, a greater understanding of marsupial reproduction is a high priority for Australia in the 21st century, with its current unacceptably high rate of mammalian extinctions, for 'we cannot conserve until we comprehend' (Short, 1985).The results therefore are of great potential benefit to society.
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Adaptations of plant mitochondria during cold acclimation in Arabidopsis thaliana: towards an understanding of plant cold acclimation. Frost damage is a major cost to agricultural producers and some crop plant species needlessly adapt to cold, when they are grown in temperate regions or in glasshouses, which leads to decreased production. The principal outcome of this project will be to greatly extend our knowledge about plant mitochondrial responses to environmental cold stress and what role th ....Adaptations of plant mitochondria during cold acclimation in Arabidopsis thaliana: towards an understanding of plant cold acclimation. Frost damage is a major cost to agricultural producers and some crop plant species needlessly adapt to cold, when they are grown in temperate regions or in glasshouses, which leads to decreased production. The principal outcome of this project will be to greatly extend our knowledge about plant mitochondrial responses to environmental cold stress and what role they have in helping plants adapt to environmental change. An understanding of cold acclimation may allow the production of plants with altered cold acclimation phenotypes and greater frost tolerance.Read moreRead less
Mammalian histidine kinase: its characterisation and role in hepatic cellular proliferation. Protein kinases regulate all aspects of cellular metabolism, but there is a class of protein kinase, histidine kinases, which exists in mammalian cells, about which remarkably little is understood. This project will be the first detailed characterisation of such an enzyme and investigation of its cellular function. The enzyme to be characterised is hepatic and it has been implicated in the regulation of ....Mammalian histidine kinase: its characterisation and role in hepatic cellular proliferation. Protein kinases regulate all aspects of cellular metabolism, but there is a class of protein kinase, histidine kinases, which exists in mammalian cells, about which remarkably little is understood. This project will be the first detailed characterisation of such an enzyme and investigation of its cellular function. The enzyme to be characterised is hepatic and it has been implicated in the regulation of DNA replication in regenerating liver. We shall obtain a detailed picture of the role of this histidine kinase in liver cell biology and an insight into the more general biological role of this class of enzyme.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560712
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$630,837.00
Summary
State-of-the-art biophysical tools for the characterisation of molecular interactions. In the current era of 'the genome' there is more demand than ever before for the characterisation of the gene products - the oligonucleotides and proteins that carry out the important functions in the cell. The current proposal is to acquire a suite of instrumentation to characterise the kinetics, thermodynamics and overall affinities of interactions between biological macromolecules and their physiological bi ....State-of-the-art biophysical tools for the characterisation of molecular interactions. In the current era of 'the genome' there is more demand than ever before for the characterisation of the gene products - the oligonucleotides and proteins that carry out the important functions in the cell. The current proposal is to acquire a suite of instrumentation to characterise the kinetics, thermodynamics and overall affinities of interactions between biological macromolecules and their physiological binding partners or with novel ligands. This will reveal the role of the macromolecules of interest in the cell, and potentially lead to the discovery of drug molecules which could interfere with molecular interactions underlying disease.Read moreRead less