Genetics and evolution of Shigella O antigens. We use genome scale sequencing techniques to sequence 26 O-antigen gene clusters from Shigella. With the seven already known, this will give sequences for every O-antigen of Shigella. This will be the first time that such set is fully sequenced. Shigella are human specific pathogens, have emerged with the evolution of humans. O-antigens are important for their life and pathogenicity. This project will greatly extend our knowledge of the genetic basi ....Genetics and evolution of Shigella O antigens. We use genome scale sequencing techniques to sequence 26 O-antigen gene clusters from Shigella. With the seven already known, this will give sequences for every O-antigen of Shigella. This will be the first time that such set is fully sequenced. Shigella are human specific pathogens, have emerged with the evolution of humans. O-antigens are important for their life and pathogenicity. This project will greatly extend our knowledge of the genetic basis and evolution of this important polymorphism. O-antigens are used for typing Shigella and also elicit strong immunity. The molecular data will help establish DNA based typing and vaccine development.Read moreRead less
A functional genomic approach for understanding metal ion adaptation in marine cyanobacteria. Unicellular marine cyanobacteria constitute 20-40% of total marine chlorophyll biomass and carbon fixation, and hence significantly impact the global carbon cycle and are very relevant to combating global warming. This research will reveal some of the major mechanisms by which marine cyanobacteria have adapted to metal levels in coastal and oligotrophic environments. Thus these results will help us und ....A functional genomic approach for understanding metal ion adaptation in marine cyanobacteria. Unicellular marine cyanobacteria constitute 20-40% of total marine chlorophyll biomass and carbon fixation, and hence significantly impact the global carbon cycle and are very relevant to combating global warming. This research will reveal some of the major mechanisms by which marine cyanobacteria have adapted to metal levels in coastal and oligotrophic environments. Thus these results will help us understand the distribution and diversity of these organisms in relation to global primary productivity. They will also lead to the development of more robust biomarkers for metal stress and pollution in coastal environments.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms of action and expression of bioactive compounds produced by the surface associated marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata. The marine surface-associated bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata produces a number of bioactive metabolites that inhibit the colonisation and growth of common fouling organisms such as bacteria, fungi, algae and invertebrate larvae. The antibacterial and antifungal compounds represent novel metabolites active against a remarkable range of both medically and ....Mechanisms of action and expression of bioactive compounds produced by the surface associated marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata. The marine surface-associated bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata produces a number of bioactive metabolites that inhibit the colonisation and growth of common fouling organisms such as bacteria, fungi, algae and invertebrate larvae. The antibacterial and antifungal compounds represent novel metabolites active against a remarkable range of both medically and agriculturally important bacteria and fungi. This project aims to explore the identity, mode of action and regulation of expression of these compounds. This research proposal addresses several significant biological concepts and will lead to the development of novel environmentally friendly antifouling and antimicrobial technologies.Read moreRead less
Evolutionary and ecological complexity in an experimentally controlled environment. Understanding the capacity and mechanism of microbial evolution provides the framework for developing new strategies for preventing infectious disease. If we know how evolution works, it will be possible to hamper the capacity to evolve as a mechanism of preventing new diseases and controlling existing ones. This project will provide a mechanistic description of evolution in real time under controlled conditions. ....Evolutionary and ecological complexity in an experimentally controlled environment. Understanding the capacity and mechanism of microbial evolution provides the framework for developing new strategies for preventing infectious disease. If we know how evolution works, it will be possible to hamper the capacity to evolve as a mechanism of preventing new diseases and controlling existing ones. This project will provide a mechanistic description of evolution in real time under controlled conditions. This detailed information will be used in the education of the public and in debates about evolution. The project will also train at least five students in molecular and evolutionary microbiology, essential for facing future challenges.
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Biofertiliser technology for improved yields and environmental sustainability of rice and wheat crops. Australia faces the double challenge of improving the efficiency of its crop production while minimising the agricultural impact on its fragile biodiversity. Our project will meet this challenge by providing the technology for using natural biofertilisers in cereal crops. This will reduce our heavy reliance on chemical fertilisers - with associated soil loss, salinity and acidity, and high dema ....Biofertiliser technology for improved yields and environmental sustainability of rice and wheat crops. Australia faces the double challenge of improving the efficiency of its crop production while minimising the agricultural impact on its fragile biodiversity. Our project will meet this challenge by providing the technology for using natural biofertilisers in cereal crops. This will reduce our heavy reliance on chemical fertilisers - with associated soil loss, salinity and acidity, and high demand on scarce water resources - and significantly increase our crop yields. Our advances will help Australian farmers to reduce the costs and increase the productivity of our substantial export crops while improving their environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
The role of redox balance and reactive oxygen species in beer stability using an integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. A better understanding of yeast redox balance will enable it to be used to predict fermentation outcomes and to link raw materials and processes to the quality of the final product. These data will produce economies in the brewing industry by the introduction of quality control regimes for raw materials and can be extrapolated to the wine industry. This will prov ....The role of redox balance and reactive oxygen species in beer stability using an integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. A better understanding of yeast redox balance will enable it to be used to predict fermentation outcomes and to link raw materials and processes to the quality of the final product. These data will produce economies in the brewing industry by the introduction of quality control regimes for raw materials and can be extrapolated to the wine industry. This will provide real economic advantage to Carlton and United Breweries which is an Australian company that has an international profile within a highly competitive industry.Read moreRead less
In vivo studies on the regulation of transcription and translation in Bacillus subtilis. Genetic information from a chromosome made of DNA is converted (transcription) into RNA that is then converted (translation) into protein. Transcription and translation are both highly regulated processes, and in bacteria are thought to occur very close together. Recent evidence suggests this close coupling is not as extensive as thought. This project will continue work to investigate the composition of tran ....In vivo studies on the regulation of transcription and translation in Bacillus subtilis. Genetic information from a chromosome made of DNA is converted (transcription) into RNA that is then converted (translation) into protein. Transcription and translation are both highly regulated processes, and in bacteria are thought to occur very close together. Recent evidence suggests this close coupling is not as extensive as thought. This project will continue work to investigate the composition of transcription complexes involved in production of different types of RNA, and also to investigate the level of translational coupling in live cells. This will provide useful information on these fundamental processes.Read moreRead less
Integrons in Xanthomonas pathovars: Do they have a role in plant pathogenicity? Bacteria in the genus Xanthomonas cause serious diseases of plants, identification being based on the plant species from which they were originally recovered. Xanthomonads contain integrons, genetic elements capable of acquiring and expressing diverse genes. In other bacterial groups, the gene content of integrons varies significantly between strains of the same species, and in many cases these genes code for cell su ....Integrons in Xanthomonas pathovars: Do they have a role in plant pathogenicity? Bacteria in the genus Xanthomonas cause serious diseases of plants, identification being based on the plant species from which they were originally recovered. Xanthomonads contain integrons, genetic elements capable of acquiring and expressing diverse genes. In other bacterial groups, the gene content of integrons varies significantly between strains of the same species, and in many cases these genes code for cell surface proteins. These characteristics are precisely those we might expect to be responsible for interactions between plants and bacteria. This project aims to examine a large collection of xanthomonads for integrons, and determine whether particular integron gene contents are associated with host-pathogen specificity.
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ARC Centre of Excellence - Structural and Functional Microbial Genomics. The research falls under the National Research Priority Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries, with the priority goal of frontier technologies. The research has commercial applications, such as the development of novel antimicrobials and vaccines, with potentially enormous impact in the biotechnology area of biomedical health and the primary industries. In addition, the project will use ....ARC Centre of Excellence - Structural and Functional Microbial Genomics. The research falls under the National Research Priority Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries, with the priority goal of frontier technologies. The research has commercial applications, such as the development of novel antimicrobials and vaccines, with potentially enormous impact in the biotechnology area of biomedical health and the primary industries. In addition, the project will use state-of-the-art technology, including use of synchrotron radiation at the Monash-based Australian Synchrotron facility from 2007.Read moreRead less
Exploring and harnessing mobile DNA: Integrons and gene cassettes in natural populations of Bacteria. Bacteria respond rapidly to environmental change by acquiring new genes via lateral gene transfer. The integron/gene cassette system is important in this process as it is found in an increasingly broad range of bacteria. As well as being common, we have shown that the system is associated with an unprecedented amount of genetic novelty. Here we explore the limits of this novelty and its con ....Exploring and harnessing mobile DNA: Integrons and gene cassettes in natural populations of Bacteria. Bacteria respond rapidly to environmental change by acquiring new genes via lateral gene transfer. The integron/gene cassette system is important in this process as it is found in an increasingly broad range of bacteria. As well as being common, we have shown that the system is associated with an unprecedented amount of genetic novelty. Here we explore the limits of this novelty and its contribution to bacterial evolution. In so doing we have the potential to identify new commercially important genes and develop enabling technologies. These discoveries could produce beneficial outcomes for exploitation by a wide range of Australian industries.Read moreRead less