The lipidomics of cell fate. This project aims to dissect the roles of lipids in cell fate. The study of lipids, or lipidomics, is an emerging and exciting area of biological science. The fundamental roles of lipids in development remain vastly understudied. This project will look at reprogramming of somatic cells into stem cells, their pluripotency and differentiation. This will be complemented with studies in the zebrafish, which permits the direct study of cell fate in vivo. This approach is ....The lipidomics of cell fate. This project aims to dissect the roles of lipids in cell fate. The study of lipids, or lipidomics, is an emerging and exciting area of biological science. The fundamental roles of lipids in development remain vastly understudied. This project will look at reprogramming of somatic cells into stem cells, their pluripotency and differentiation. This will be complemented with studies in the zebrafish, which permits the direct study of cell fate in vivo. This approach is a powerful way to unlock major events involved in development and to unmask the roles of lipids in these fundamental mechanisms.Read moreRead less
Developmental functions of oxygen and redox cues in plants. This project aims to transform our understanding of the regulation of meristem functions, with a central hypothesis that plant cell quiescence (repressed cell division) is governed by oxygen and oxidation/reduction (redox)-dependent cues. Meristems are the growing tips of plants, and thus the fundamental unit of plant growth and productivity. This project will develop new knowledge of how plants integrate changes in the environment to r ....Developmental functions of oxygen and redox cues in plants. This project aims to transform our understanding of the regulation of meristem functions, with a central hypothesis that plant cell quiescence (repressed cell division) is governed by oxygen and oxidation/reduction (redox)-dependent cues. Meristems are the growing tips of plants, and thus the fundamental unit of plant growth and productivity. This project will develop new knowledge of how plants integrate changes in the environment to regulate meristem activity. This project will define new paradigms of how oxygen and redox status interact with energy and other cues to regulate decisions to grow or quiesce. This will underpin the development of new strategies to optimise crop management and productivity, improve the efficiency of inputs, and reduce the risk of decision making in crop production.Read moreRead less
Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction in disease. Defects in mitochondria, the energy producing compartments within cells, lead to severe neurodegenerative diseases and contribute to the development of cancer. Treatment for such diseases caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA remains unsatisfactory and mostly confined to supportive measures. The identification of proteins that regulate gene expression within mitochondria provides an unexplored resource of potential disease modulators and drug ta ....Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction in disease. Defects in mitochondria, the energy producing compartments within cells, lead to severe neurodegenerative diseases and contribute to the development of cancer. Treatment for such diseases caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA remains unsatisfactory and mostly confined to supportive measures. The identification of proteins that regulate gene expression within mitochondria provides an unexplored resource of potential disease modulators and drug targets. This research will lead to new strategies in the design of improved anticancer drugs, which is an important Australian research priority that will promote and maintain good health, and provide potential commercial outcomes.Read moreRead less
The regulation of skeletal muscle mass. This project aims to delineate a pathway involved in regulating skeletal muscle mass, and examine whether disrupting mitochondrial phospholipid synthesis affects mitochondrial structure and function, causing muscle wasting. Defining a new atrophy pathway will advance understanding of the mechanisms that control muscle mass. This project could have important economic and quality of life benefits, especially for agriculture, where achieving optimal muscle ma ....The regulation of skeletal muscle mass. This project aims to delineate a pathway involved in regulating skeletal muscle mass, and examine whether disrupting mitochondrial phospholipid synthesis affects mitochondrial structure and function, causing muscle wasting. Defining a new atrophy pathway will advance understanding of the mechanisms that control muscle mass. This project could have important economic and quality of life benefits, especially for agriculture, where achieving optimal muscle mass ensures international competitiveness, productivity and economic growth, and successful ageing, where maintaining muscle mass is essential.Read moreRead less
Determining how calcium regulates mitochondrial function in models of cardiomyopathy. Heart failure is the leading cause of death in Australia. This project will determine the mechanisms by which the failing heart is associated with disorganisation of the cell and poor energy supply so that interventions aimed at reducing the development of heart failure can be developed.
Regulation and role of metabolic networks for respiration in plants. This project aims to understand the regulation of respiration in plants which underpins the energy provision that cells need to operate. Understanding respiration and how it responds to the changing environment is a building block needed for rational engineering of our future food from plants.
Characterizing the regulators of mitochondrial biogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. The overall aim of this project is to identify and characterise the underlying regulatory factors that control mitochondrial mass and number in plants. The project will exploit a regulatory mechanism that links the mitochondrial import machinery and the respiratory chain. Utilising both forward and reverse genetic approaches, the abundances of protein import translocases will be altered and the changes to mitochon ....Characterizing the regulators of mitochondrial biogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. The overall aim of this project is to identify and characterise the underlying regulatory factors that control mitochondrial mass and number in plants. The project will exploit a regulatory mechanism that links the mitochondrial import machinery and the respiratory chain. Utilising both forward and reverse genetic approaches, the abundances of protein import translocases will be altered and the changes to mitochondrial biogenesis will be investigated. This will identify regulatory factors, which can be manipulated and used to alter mitochondrial number and activity.Read moreRead less
Deciphering the Thermal Acclimation of Mitochondrial Respiration. Plants acclimate to the extremes of temperature following a pre-exposure to a sub-lethal increase/decrease in temperature. Recent research has revealed that proteins of oxidative phosphorylation and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle are dynamic and change their abundance in response to temperature change. Harnessing a cutting edge protein mass spectrometry approach, this project seeks to better understand how mitochondrial respir ....Deciphering the Thermal Acclimation of Mitochondrial Respiration. Plants acclimate to the extremes of temperature following a pre-exposure to a sub-lethal increase/decrease in temperature. Recent research has revealed that proteins of oxidative phosphorylation and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle are dynamic and change their abundance in response to temperature change. Harnessing a cutting edge protein mass spectrometry approach, this project seeks to better understand how mitochondrial respiration and hence adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production is maintained during temperature change. Uniquely this project will examine this in both the model plant Arabidopsis and wheat and combine both tissue, environment-induced and genotype variation to reveal a new understanding of the thermal acclimation of this major mitochondrial process.Read moreRead less
Heritage diplomacy and One Belt One Road. This project aims to address China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, utilising the concept of heritage diplomacy to interpret the role culture plays in shaping trade and diplomatic relations. This project expects to develop new knowledge about 21st Century diplomacy and the political drivers of heritage preservation today. Expected outcomes of the project include collaborations with OBOR think tanks and universities in Australia, China and Central A ....Heritage diplomacy and One Belt One Road. This project aims to address China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, utilising the concept of heritage diplomacy to interpret the role culture plays in shaping trade and diplomatic relations. This project expects to develop new knowledge about 21st Century diplomacy and the political drivers of heritage preservation today. Expected outcomes of the project include collaborations with OBOR think tanks and universities in Australia, China and Central Asia, and an open access-mapping database based on international heritage documentation standards. This should significantly assist Australian and heritage international agencies understand the large-scale forces and pressures that shape their future conservation policies in the region.Read moreRead less
Unlocking secrets of fertility restoration for hybrid breeding in crops. Hybrid varieties give higher and more stable yields than conventional lines, but a cost-effective system to make hybrid seed on a commercial scale is still missing for economically important crops like wheat or barley. By elucidating the mode of action of a new type of restorer gene plus exploiting ancient or exotic wheat and barley collections this project will reveal aspects of largely understudied mechanisms underlying f ....Unlocking secrets of fertility restoration for hybrid breeding in crops. Hybrid varieties give higher and more stable yields than conventional lines, but a cost-effective system to make hybrid seed on a commercial scale is still missing for economically important crops like wheat or barley. By elucidating the mode of action of a new type of restorer gene plus exploiting ancient or exotic wheat and barley collections this project will reveal aspects of largely understudied mechanisms underlying fertility restoration in wheat and barley. The expected outcomes of the proposed research have the potential to deliver new tools for hybrid seed production programs in wheat and barley. Higher and more stable yields from hybrids will ensure food security in the face of an uncertain climate and growing human population.Read moreRead less