Functional characterisation of the necrotrophic effector proteins Tox1 and Tox3 from the wheat pathogen Stagonospora nodorum. Fungal pathogens cost the Australian agricultural industry over one billion dollars per year. This project will build upon recent key advances to provide a fundamental basis on how fungal pathogens cause disease. The results from this study will promote future advances in disease management with the aim of securing Australian wheat supplies.
Isolation and functional characterisation of a pathogen meta effector able to inhibit detection of multiple disease effectors by resistant plants. The rust fungi are a major economic threat to crop production in Australia. This project will investigate the molecular mechanism used by a rust fungus to prevent detection of multiple disease-inducing proteins by resistant plants and generate knowledge that will lead to the development of new and more effective disease control strategies.
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.
How do nano-molecular carboxysome protein structures function in alpha and beta-cyanobacteria and can we use them for novel reaction compartmentalisation? In blue-green algae, protein nano-structures, known as carboxysomes, act as tiny compartments where carbon dioxide (CO2) can be fixed into simple sugars at high efficiency. This important photosynthetic process forms the basis of global primary productivity on this planet, but most land-based CO2 fixation lacks the efficiency seen in blue-gree ....How do nano-molecular carboxysome protein structures function in alpha and beta-cyanobacteria and can we use them for novel reaction compartmentalisation? In blue-green algae, protein nano-structures, known as carboxysomes, act as tiny compartments where carbon dioxide (CO2) can be fixed into simple sugars at high efficiency. This important photosynthetic process forms the basis of global primary productivity on this planet, but most land-based CO2 fixation lacks the efficiency seen in blue-greens. This research aims to determine how the proteins that make up carboxysomes are 3-dimensionally arranged and how these structures function to enhance rates of CO2 fixation. A more thorough understanding of the carboxysome is likely to have potential applications in industrial nano-technology and improve our understanding of oceanic primary productivity.Read moreRead less
Control of sucrose source/sink status by the plant immune system. This project aims to investigate the roles of plant malectin receptor kinases in pathogen recognition and response. The project will utilise molecular and cell biological tools to detect complex formation and changes in sugar import into cells. Expected outcomes of this project include a better understanding of how pathogens manipulate plant cells to their benefit, and greater knowledge of which host molecules participate in this ....Control of sucrose source/sink status by the plant immune system. This project aims to investigate the roles of plant malectin receptor kinases in pathogen recognition and response. The project will utilise molecular and cell biological tools to detect complex formation and changes in sugar import into cells. Expected outcomes of this project include a better understanding of how pathogens manipulate plant cells to their benefit, and greater knowledge of which host molecules participate in this process. This should provide significant benefits such as a new theoretical basis to engineer crop plants for resistance against devastating diseases.Read moreRead less
Physiological and molecular controls of plant transpiration efficiency: investigating the role of the ERECTA gene. Water is the single most limiting factor in agriculture and the world's supply of fresh water is diminishing, the greatest fraction of total water use being by agriculture. Progress in water-use efficiency will have social value, and this program should help us to achieve it. Our progress in this area is already one of the most successful of 'bottom-up' approaches - in the sense of ....Physiological and molecular controls of plant transpiration efficiency: investigating the role of the ERECTA gene. Water is the single most limiting factor in agriculture and the world's supply of fresh water is diminishing, the greatest fraction of total water use being by agriculture. Progress in water-use efficiency will have social value, and this program should help us to achieve it. Our progress in this area is already one of the most successful of 'bottom-up' approaches - in the sense of transferring knowledge from biochemistry and biophysics to breeding and agronomy, as CSIRO now has a successful wheat breeding program based on this earlier work of ours. Now that we have discovered a gene that controls water-use efficiency at the leaf level, we wish to see how the gene works, and how it affects mineral nutrition of leaves.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100466
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$427,623.00
Summary
Decrypting chloroplast signalling in C4 photosynthesis under heat stress. This project aims to fill a critical knowledge gap in how photosynthesis, chloroplast signals, metabolism and cell specialisation are coordinated for stress acclimation in plants. It aims to dissect the complex interactions between a) cellular distress signals produced by chloroplasts with b) reactive radicals and c) plant metabolism during heat stress. It expects to provide the first insights into chloroplast signalling c ....Decrypting chloroplast signalling in C4 photosynthesis under heat stress. This project aims to fill a critical knowledge gap in how photosynthesis, chloroplast signals, metabolism and cell specialisation are coordinated for stress acclimation in plants. It aims to dissect the complex interactions between a) cellular distress signals produced by chloroplasts with b) reactive radicals and c) plant metabolism during heat stress. It expects to provide the first insights into chloroplast signalling critical for heat-tolerant C4 photosynthesis which is active in two specialised leaf cell types in cereals such as maize and sorghum. Expected outcomes include an unprecedented cell-level resolution map of chloroplast signalling, which will benefit the engineering of improved photosynthesis into crops. Read moreRead less
Improving plant reproductive success under heat stress: A sweet approach. This project aims to determine how genetic manipulation of cell wall invertase (CWIN) activity could regulate pollen germination, elongation and fruit set under heat stress using tomato as a model. Plant reproductive processes are highly susceptible to heat stress, which often leads to pollination failure and fruit and seed abortion, hence irreversible yield loss. Research has established that CWIN-mediated sugar metabolis ....Improving plant reproductive success under heat stress: A sweet approach. This project aims to determine how genetic manipulation of cell wall invertase (CWIN) activity could regulate pollen germination, elongation and fruit set under heat stress using tomato as a model. Plant reproductive processes are highly susceptible to heat stress, which often leads to pollination failure and fruit and seed abortion, hence irreversible yield loss. Research has established that CWIN-mediated sugar metabolism and signaling may play crucial roles in pollen growth and fruit set under heat stress. The intended outcome is the generation of critical knowledge that will advance understanding on reproductive development under heat stress, thereby providing significant benefits, such as novel ideas and solutions for improving crop yield.Read moreRead less
Identification of immune receptor and signalling proteins from plants. This project aims to clone a new extracellular pathogen receptor, and map immune signalling pathways downstream of both intra- and extra-cellular receptors using innovative biochemical methods. The plant immune system protects plants and crops from attack by pests and pathogens. It is an innate system based on extracellular and intracellular pathogen receptors. Despite the importance of plant immunity in both biological and a ....Identification of immune receptor and signalling proteins from plants. This project aims to clone a new extracellular pathogen receptor, and map immune signalling pathways downstream of both intra- and extra-cellular receptors using innovative biochemical methods. The plant immune system protects plants and crops from attack by pests and pathogens. It is an innate system based on extracellular and intracellular pathogen receptors. Despite the importance of plant immunity in both biological and agricultural terms, little is known about the identity of such receptors or the signalling events that link pathogen perception to response. The results are expected to enhance crop productivity and provide important insights into the architecture of the plant immune system.Read moreRead less
Oxygen isotope discrimination during C4 photosynthesis. Plants with the C4 photosynthetic pathway, like sugarcane and pasture grasses, are vital to Australian agriculture and natural ecosystems. This project will use novel laser spectroscopy to measure oxygen isotope discrimination during photosynthesis and quantify the influence of C4 plants on isotopic signatures of atmospheric CO2.