Molecular mechanisms determining the lipid composition of synapses. Synapses between neurons play a key role in all functions of the nervous system including learning and memory. They are mostly composed of the unique combination of proteins and lipids, which function together to enable neurotransmission. While the molecular mechanisms determining the protein composition of synapses are well characterised, the mechanisms defining the lipid composition of synapses remain unknown. The project will ....Molecular mechanisms determining the lipid composition of synapses. Synapses between neurons play a key role in all functions of the nervous system including learning and memory. They are mostly composed of the unique combination of proteins and lipids, which function together to enable neurotransmission. While the molecular mechanisms determining the protein composition of synapses are well characterised, the mechanisms defining the lipid composition of synapses remain unknown. The project will use advanced techniques of neuroscience and lipid research to determine the mechanisms of lipid transport and retention at synapses. The project is expected to generate new knowledge about the fundamental mechanisms of brain function, which will be useful for developing new therapeutics enhancing the brain power.Read moreRead less
How do protein quality control mechanisms maintain neuronal ageing? This project aims to interrogate how mechanisms of protein quality control act in the brain - an organ that is particularly vulnerable to a high load of misfolded protein - to maintain normal physiology during ageing. This project expects to make advances in cellular biochemistry and neuroscience, using an innovative proximity labelling approach to identify quality control regulators in neurons that specifically engage with misf ....How do protein quality control mechanisms maintain neuronal ageing? This project aims to interrogate how mechanisms of protein quality control act in the brain - an organ that is particularly vulnerable to a high load of misfolded protein - to maintain normal physiology during ageing. This project expects to make advances in cellular biochemistry and neuroscience, using an innovative proximity labelling approach to identify quality control regulators in neurons that specifically engage with misfolded proteins during ageing, within the nervous system of a living animal. Expected outcomes of this project will generate new knowledge of brain physiology and ageing relevant to all animals. This should provide significant benefits, such as a greater understanding of long-term brain functions including memory.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100206
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Intelligently linking nanoscience to neuroscience with glycan biology. This project aims to provide a comprehensive description of the unique cell-surface glycan expression on inflamed neurons, astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes. This project will use glycan profiling data to engineer luminescent nanoparticles with superior neuroimaging qualities for cell type-specific in vivo targeting and drug delivery in the central nervous system. The project outcomes are expected to improve our fund ....Intelligently linking nanoscience to neuroscience with glycan biology. This project aims to provide a comprehensive description of the unique cell-surface glycan expression on inflamed neurons, astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes. This project will use glycan profiling data to engineer luminescent nanoparticles with superior neuroimaging qualities for cell type-specific in vivo targeting and drug delivery in the central nervous system. The project outcomes are expected to improve our fundamental understanding of neurobiological cell-surfaces.Read moreRead less
Functional analysis of long noncoding RNAs expressed in the brain. For many years, the mammalian genome has been thought to be mainly junk. Recently, however, it has become evident that most of the genome specifies RNAs that do not encode proteins ('long noncoding' RNAs, lncRNAs), many of which are brain-specific. This project aims to determine the functions of lncRNAs that are expressed in the hippocampus (involved in learning) and the cerebellum (involved in movement coordination) by deleting ....Functional analysis of long noncoding RNAs expressed in the brain. For many years, the mammalian genome has been thought to be mainly junk. Recently, however, it has become evident that most of the genome specifies RNAs that do not encode proteins ('long noncoding' RNAs, lncRNAs), many of which are brain-specific. This project aims to determine the functions of lncRNAs that are expressed in the hippocampus (involved in learning) and the cerebellum (involved in movement coordination) by deleting them in mice, testing for developmental, cognitive and motor effects, and characterising the structures with which they are associated. The results of the project are expected to open new vistas in neuroscience, contributing to understanding the molecular basis of brain function and the 'dark matter' of the genome.Read moreRead less