The identification of Mycosphaerella graminicola effectors that promote pathogenicity on wheat. Fungal diseases are one of the greatest challenges to sustainable wheat production in the 21st century. Septoria tritici blotch is one such disease as it inflicts millions of tonnes in yield losses per annum. This project will identify the molecular basis of Septoria tritici blotch and assess its potential as an Australian biosecurity threat.
Molecular basis of synergy between PIs and defensins against fungi. The plant defensin nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (NaD1) has potent antifungal activity against agricultural and human pathogens and has potential in the treatment of serious diseases that affect crop production and human health. NaD1 has been found to permeabilise membranes and allows entry of other molecules into the fungal cytoplasm. While screening for molecules that enhance the activity of defensi ....Molecular basis of synergy between PIs and defensins against fungi. The plant defensin nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (NaD1) has potent antifungal activity against agricultural and human pathogens and has potential in the treatment of serious diseases that affect crop production and human health. NaD1 has been found to permeabilise membranes and allows entry of other molecules into the fungal cytoplasm. While screening for molecules that enhance the activity of defensins a number of proteinase inhibitors were identified that act synergistically with NaD1. This project aims to identify the molecular basis of this synergy which is expected to lead to better control of fungal diseases of crops and in humans.Read moreRead less
Factors causing wheat stripe rust epidemics. This project aims to tackle wheat stripe rust, one of the most important fungal diseases of wheat in Australia, causing losses of up to $125 million a year. This project expects to gain insights into the fungal evolution and the molecular mechanism that causes hyper-virulent pathogen isolates. The expected outcome is to identify and characterise multiple genetic factors in the pathogen that contribute to wheat stripe rust epidemics in Australia. This ....Factors causing wheat stripe rust epidemics. This project aims to tackle wheat stripe rust, one of the most important fungal diseases of wheat in Australia, causing losses of up to $125 million a year. This project expects to gain insights into the fungal evolution and the molecular mechanism that causes hyper-virulent pathogen isolates. The expected outcome is to identify and characterise multiple genetic factors in the pathogen that contribute to wheat stripe rust epidemics in Australia. This project will contribute to improved disease management strategies to contain wheat stripe rust, resulting in higher wheat yields, reduced application of fungicides and increased revenue for Australian wheat farmers.Read moreRead less
Determining how the soluble dietary fibre beta-glucan is made in cereals. This Project aims to define the molecular mechanisms that control the processes involved in the biosynthesis and regulation of mixed linkage glucan, a major soluble dietary fibre in the cell walls of cereal grains. Plant cell walls determine the quality of most plant-based products used in modern human societies, yet the regulatory mechanisms responsible for their modulation are not well understood. Key distinguishing feat ....Determining how the soluble dietary fibre beta-glucan is made in cereals. This Project aims to define the molecular mechanisms that control the processes involved in the biosynthesis and regulation of mixed linkage glucan, a major soluble dietary fibre in the cell walls of cereal grains. Plant cell walls determine the quality of most plant-based products used in modern human societies, yet the regulatory mechanisms responsible for their modulation are not well understood. Key distinguishing features of the Project will be the international, integrative, and multidisciplinary approach towards addressing this major challenge in plant biology and the potential of the fundamental scientific discoveries to benefit end-users in the food, feed and beverage industries.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100833
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,551.00
Summary
Understanding how water-transporting vessels in plants are made. This project aims to understand how cytoskeleton-associated proteins underpin the formation of water-conducting vessels. Uncovering molecular mechanisms that lead to efficient water transport in plants opens up new avenues to address food and crop safety, particularly in times of environmental change.
Cell wall synthesis and regulation in Nicotiana pollen tubes, a model tip-growing cell with a simple wall. Cell walls of plants determine the quality of most plant-based products and represent the world's largest renewable carbon resource. This project will address current gaps in our knowledge of wall structure and function at the molecular, genetic and biochemical levels using the relatively simple walls of tobacco pollen tubes as a model.
Re-engineering rice root architecture to maximise water use efficiency. This project aims to discover gene networks responsible for producing deeper and more branched roots in rice plants. The roots of plants are the primary mechanism for absorbing water and nutrients from the soil. Manipulating roots to penetrate deeper with greater branching allows plants to thrive with less water and less nutrients. The project will identify key genes and proteins responsible for this process, and alter their ....Re-engineering rice root architecture to maximise water use efficiency. This project aims to discover gene networks responsible for producing deeper and more branched roots in rice plants. The roots of plants are the primary mechanism for absorbing water and nutrients from the soil. Manipulating roots to penetrate deeper with greater branching allows plants to thrive with less water and less nutrients. The project will identify key genes and proteins responsible for this process, and alter their expression in order to assess the role of these regulatory elements in root development in rice plants. The project expects to provide new, more sustainable varieties of rice which will help provide enhanced food security.Read moreRead less
Defining factors that influence protein turnover in plants. This project aims to discover how the functions of different proteins change as they age, and to define factors that dictate protein stability inside plants. This project will change protein turnover rates in plants by altering a regulator of this process to assess the role of this regulator in different plant developmental transitions. Expected outcomes include showing how protein abundance can be altered in plants for our future agric ....Defining factors that influence protein turnover in plants. This project aims to discover how the functions of different proteins change as they age, and to define factors that dictate protein stability inside plants. This project will change protein turnover rates in plants by altering a regulator of this process to assess the role of this regulator in different plant developmental transitions. Expected outcomes include showing how protein abundance can be altered in plants for our future agricultural and biotechnology needs. This will provide significant benefits, such as discovering processes inside plant cells that maintain the quality of different kinds of proteins and propose how different kinds of proteins can be stabilised for plant biotechnology applications.Read moreRead less
Untangling the plant Golgi apparatus: Functional proteomics to understand plant cell wall biosynthesis. The plant cell wall determines plant morphology and structure. It is also a major factor in food quality, and it is used as forage and is the raw material for a range of industries. A significant proportion of the cell wall is synthesised in a poorly studied cellular compartment known as the Golgi apparatus. This project intends to exploit unique isolation and analytical techniques in conjunct ....Untangling the plant Golgi apparatus: Functional proteomics to understand plant cell wall biosynthesis. The plant cell wall determines plant morphology and structure. It is also a major factor in food quality, and it is used as forage and is the raw material for a range of industries. A significant proportion of the cell wall is synthesised in a poorly studied cellular compartment known as the Golgi apparatus. This project intends to exploit unique isolation and analytical techniques in conjunction to further profile and characterise this structure in order to uncover new information about the complex interplay of components involved in plant cell wall biosynthesis. This information will be used to support approaches to manipulate cell walls to produce plant biomass optimised for agricultural and industrial applications.Read moreRead less
Cell-cell signaling in the regulation of cell polarity in plants. This project aims to investigate how plants cells communicate with each other to coordinate their growth and directionality. The project is expected to generate new knowledge in the area of plant developmental biology. Expected outcomes include a new mechanistic framework, built from the cellular level, for understanding and manipulating plant growth and the building of new international collaborations. The project should provide ....Cell-cell signaling in the regulation of cell polarity in plants. This project aims to investigate how plants cells communicate with each other to coordinate their growth and directionality. The project is expected to generate new knowledge in the area of plant developmental biology. Expected outcomes include a new mechanistic framework, built from the cellular level, for understanding and manipulating plant growth and the building of new international collaborations. The project should provide an enhanced ability to modify crop architecture to improve agricultural output.Read moreRead less