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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.
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
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
Crops for a phosphorus-scarce future: plant adaptation to fluctuating phosphorus availability. Phosphorus is commonly used on farmland to ensure high yields. However, rock phosphate reserves are declining and leaching of phosphorus from farmlands into native vegetation and water bodies causes significant environmental degradation. As a result, more phosphorus-efficient farming systems are urgently required. Many Australian native plants have adapted to low phosphorus soils and fast fluctuations ....Crops for a phosphorus-scarce future: plant adaptation to fluctuating phosphorus availability. Phosphorus is commonly used on farmland to ensure high yields. However, rock phosphate reserves are declining and leaching of phosphorus from farmlands into native vegetation and water bodies causes significant environmental degradation. As a result, more phosphorus-efficient farming systems are urgently required. Many Australian native plants have adapted to low phosphorus soils and fast fluctuations in phosphorus availability. This project aims to investigate plant adaptations to phosphorus fluctuations and the potential for storing phosphorus when it is abundant for later use. This should aid development of crops with improved phosphorus fertiliser-use efficiency in anticipation of a phosphorus-scarce future.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
Unlocking a new hormone signalling system to increase plant performance. This project seeks to discover new ways to improve crop productivity by investigating a recently identified chemical signalling pathway in plants that affects seed germination, seedling growth, leaf development and water use. The aims are to identify unknown signalling compounds that work through this pathway, to discover the molecular regulators of the pathway, and to examine how it operates in different plant species. The ....Unlocking a new hormone signalling system to increase plant performance. This project seeks to discover new ways to improve crop productivity by investigating a recently identified chemical signalling pathway in plants that affects seed germination, seedling growth, leaf development and water use. The aims are to identify unknown signalling compounds that work through this pathway, to discover the molecular regulators of the pathway, and to examine how it operates in different plant species. The project also plans to exploit this pathway to find inhibitors of premature seed germination that afflict crops such as wheat and barley. The intended outcomes are a better understanding of how plants grow and new strategies for boosting plant performance in the field. Specific potential applications include reducing plant water use, regulating seed germination, and encouraging early seedling establishment. Read moreRead less
Genetic evolution of plant proteins with biomedical applications. This project will draw upon a unique combination of skills in plant genetics and biomedical research to demonstrate that plants are not just a source of novel drugs. The results will show that they also provide a powerful biotechnological platform for the discovery, understanding, design and production of new pharmaceuticals.
Dissecting novel roles of succinate dehydrogenase in stomatal aperture and root elongation in plants. Succinate dehydrogenase (complex II) is part of the respiration processes in plants and new evidence shows that reactive oxygen species generated by it can influence plant development and stress tolerance. However, there are still many unanswered questions about the composition and function of this enzyme and its dual roles in plants. This project will study this protein complex in the model p ....Dissecting novel roles of succinate dehydrogenase in stomatal aperture and root elongation in plants. Succinate dehydrogenase (complex II) is part of the respiration processes in plants and new evidence shows that reactive oxygen species generated by it can influence plant development and stress tolerance. However, there are still many unanswered questions about the composition and function of this enzyme and its dual roles in plants. This project will study this protein complex in the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant rice, identify its role in signalling in depth to provide knowledge adding development of strategies for improving tolerance of crops to stresses.Read moreRead less
Dissecting chloride transport in plants to secure an untapped source for improving plant productivity. Chloride and nitrate are central to physiological processes that determine crop yield and food production, but their uptake and transport within the plant body are antagonistic. This project will gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms underlying this antagonism. This will provide new tools for improving salinity tolerance and the efficiency of fertiliser use, which can be used for t ....Dissecting chloride transport in plants to secure an untapped source for improving plant productivity. Chloride and nitrate are central to physiological processes that determine crop yield and food production, but their uptake and transport within the plant body are antagonistic. This project will gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms underlying this antagonism. This will provide new tools for improving salinity tolerance and the efficiency of fertiliser use, which can be used for the development of new crop varieties. Improving these traits will be essential if we are to successfully address the threats to Australian and global food security posed by salinity, and the rising economic and environmental costs of inefficient fertiliser use.Read moreRead less
The hidden secondary metabolite biosynthetic potential of fungi. This proposal aims to develop synthetic biology tools to allow rapid access to the hidden metabolites encoded in fungal genomes and discover how they interact with plant and animal hosts. Genome sequencing reveals that fungi harbour vast hidden potential for biosynthesis of bioactive small molecules. The lack of tools to efficiently access this hidden potential has hindered the ability to develop this uncharted chemical diversity f ....The hidden secondary metabolite biosynthetic potential of fungi. This proposal aims to develop synthetic biology tools to allow rapid access to the hidden metabolites encoded in fungal genomes and discover how they interact with plant and animal hosts. Genome sequencing reveals that fungi harbour vast hidden potential for biosynthesis of bioactive small molecules. The lack of tools to efficiently access this hidden potential has hindered the ability to develop this uncharted chemical diversity for pharmaceutics and agriculture, and understand their biological roles in pathogens. Expected outcomes include sources of bioactive molecules and better management of fungal diseases in crops and humans.Read moreRead less