How neurons maintain their fate. This project aims to investigate how neurons maintain their identity, without reverting back to less specialised cells. Stable fate maintenance is essential because when it fails, cells lose their ability to perform their ascribed function, which impedes organism fitness. This project aims to define how two proteins work in partnership to maintain the identity of brain neurons. We intend our discoveries to stimulate new research, for example to test whether the h ....How neurons maintain their fate. This project aims to investigate how neurons maintain their identity, without reverting back to less specialised cells. Stable fate maintenance is essential because when it fails, cells lose their ability to perform their ascribed function, which impedes organism fitness. This project aims to define how two proteins work in partnership to maintain the identity of brain neurons. We intend our discoveries to stimulate new research, for example to test whether the human counterparts of the Drosophila proteins studied here, function similarly. Benefits will be provided in the form of job creation, and new knowledge in fundamental aspects of life, including brain development and cell fate maintenance.Read moreRead less
Dissecting cell cycle regulation using programmable gene editing technology. This program aims to harness the unprecedented power of CRISPR-Cas13 gene-editing technology to develop high-throughput tools to explore the role of RNA regulation in cell cycle control. This project expects to generate new knowledge about cell division and RNA biology by utilizing this new technology and applying interdisciplinary approaches. Expected outcomes of this proposal include new research tools capable of broa ....Dissecting cell cycle regulation using programmable gene editing technology. This program aims to harness the unprecedented power of CRISPR-Cas13 gene-editing technology to develop high-throughput tools to explore the role of RNA regulation in cell cycle control. This project expects to generate new knowledge about cell division and RNA biology by utilizing this new technology and applying interdisciplinary approaches. Expected outcomes of this proposal include new research tools capable of broadly addressing biological questions across multiple disciplines (e.g. from health to food production). This project intends to provide significant benefits, such as enhanced biological knowledge, multidisciplinary training opportunities and will build Australia’s capability in this rapidly expanding field.Read moreRead less
Gene regulation by retroelement encoded natural antisense transcripts. Genetic information underpins all life on earth and is processed to make proteins, which determine the characteristics of an organism. However, only about 2% of our whole genome is made up of genes that encode proteins; the other 98% is non-coding and its function remains poorly understood. Aims and Significance: This proposal aims to utilise cutting edge genomic technologies to generate new knowledge about how the non-coding ....Gene regulation by retroelement encoded natural antisense transcripts. Genetic information underpins all life on earth and is processed to make proteins, which determine the characteristics of an organism. However, only about 2% of our whole genome is made up of genes that encode proteins; the other 98% is non-coding and its function remains poorly understood. Aims and Significance: This proposal aims to utilise cutting edge genomic technologies to generate new knowledge about how the non-coding genome regulates the expression of protein coding genes. Expected Outcomes and Benefits: This proposal will provide novel targets and methodology for gene modulation with broad applications from biology to environmental sciences.Read moreRead less
Decoding miRNA regulated genetic circuits. This project will aim to develop a much better understanding of how the process of making proteins from genes is regulated, and will develop scientific software capable of predicting how a cell will respond to changes in this regulation. The results will have widespread use, including assistance in deciding the best treatments for genetic diseases.
Developing bioinformatics methods for single cell transcriptomics. This project aims to develop novel bioinformatics methods for single cell transcriptomic data that seek to model variability in cell populations. The project expects to generate new approaches using Bayesian statistics that will act as high-end enablers of discovery in transcriptional regulatory processes. Through an interdisciplinary combination of experimental and computational research, insights into fundamental biological pro ....Developing bioinformatics methods for single cell transcriptomics. This project aims to develop novel bioinformatics methods for single cell transcriptomic data that seek to model variability in cell populations. The project expects to generate new approaches using Bayesian statistics that will act as high-end enablers of discovery in transcriptional regulatory processes. Through an interdisciplinary combination of experimental and computational research, insights into fundamental biological processes will be elucidated, specifically the robustness of cellular systems. Expected outcomes include a suite of novel tools that will push the boundaries of current bioinformatics solutions with potential to deliver significant benefits to every domain of biological science, particularly tissue engineering and synthetic biology.Read moreRead less
IDENTIFYING CONTROL ELEMENTS IN CHLOROPLAST GENE EXPRESSION. Energy from sunlight is captured by photosynthesis in plants, providing the basis for the terrestrial food chain. This process takes place in chloroplasts, subcellular structures that derived from photosynthetic bacteria a billion years ago. Chloroplasts have their own DNA, containing genes encoding the most important photosynthetic proteins. This project aims to provide the world’s best resources for the study of chloroplast genes. In ....IDENTIFYING CONTROL ELEMENTS IN CHLOROPLAST GENE EXPRESSION. Energy from sunlight is captured by photosynthesis in plants, providing the basis for the terrestrial food chain. This process takes place in chloroplasts, subcellular structures that derived from photosynthetic bacteria a billion years ago. Chloroplasts have their own DNA, containing genes encoding the most important photosynthetic proteins. This project aims to provide the world’s best resources for the study of chloroplast genes. In the process, we will discover how these important genes are regulated to provide photosynthetic proteins in the right amounts, in the right cells, at the right time. The knowledge and resources gained will facilitate improvement of photosynthetic function in future agricultural crops.Read moreRead less
Hidden complexity in microRNA function. This project aims to determine the extent to which microRNAs function through “non-canonical” mechanisms within cell nuclei, how their roles are expanded by naturally occurring sequence variation and how their activity is controlled by little known families of genes that sequester and inhibit their availability. The knowledge generated is significant as microRNAs regulate the expression of virtually all genes and biological processes, yet these mechanisms ....Hidden complexity in microRNA function. This project aims to determine the extent to which microRNAs function through “non-canonical” mechanisms within cell nuclei, how their roles are expanded by naturally occurring sequence variation and how their activity is controlled by little known families of genes that sequester and inhibit their availability. The knowledge generated is significant as microRNAs regulate the expression of virtually all genes and biological processes, yet these mechanisms of function remain poorly characterised and seldom considered. The expected outcome of better understanding mechanisms through which microRNAs work should provide significant benefit to safe and effective development of microRNAs for future agricultural or therapeutic application.Read moreRead less
Investigating the biogenesis and function of circular RNAs in the brain. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are e a novel class of RNA molecules produced in a wide spectrum of eukaryotic organisms, from yeast to humans. Their expression is particularly high in the nervous system in the fruit fly, mouse and humans. What mechanisms are responsible for the tissue-specific enrichment of circular RNA expression? What are the consequences of circular RNA production on gene expression? The overall goal of the pr ....Investigating the biogenesis and function of circular RNAs in the brain. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are e a novel class of RNA molecules produced in a wide spectrum of eukaryotic organisms, from yeast to humans. Their expression is particularly high in the nervous system in the fruit fly, mouse and humans. What mechanisms are responsible for the tissue-specific enrichment of circular RNA expression? What are the consequences of circular RNA production on gene expression? The overall goal of the proposed project is to elucidate these important aspects of circRNA biogenesis. Specifically, the project aims to (a) discover proteins that regulate circRNA expression, (b) elucidate how circRNA expression interacts with alternative splicing, and (c) identify circular RNAs that play regulatory roles in gene expression. Read moreRead less
How does the noncoding genome regulate gene expression in the human brain? The non-coding genome is recognized as a major player in orchestrating gene expression in higher eukaryotes. This project aims to identify regions of the human genome that are important for gene expression during neuronal differentiation and depolarisation (i.e. neural enhancers), and to investigate their evolutionary properties. The roles of non-coding DNA in regulating the dynamic gene expression patterns underlying com ....How does the noncoding genome regulate gene expression in the human brain? The non-coding genome is recognized as a major player in orchestrating gene expression in higher eukaryotes. This project aims to identify regions of the human genome that are important for gene expression during neuronal differentiation and depolarisation (i.e. neural enhancers), and to investigate their evolutionary properties. The roles of non-coding DNA in regulating the dynamic gene expression patterns underlying complex human brain functions remains to be elucidated. By combining transcriptome quantification and bioinformatics methods, this project will close an important knowledge gap in our understanding of transcriptional regulation underlying human brain function. This will provide benefits such as the potential to influence public health policy including in cognitive functions and aging.Read moreRead less
Understanding the biogenesis of exosomes. This project aims to understand how exosomes are made in human cells. Exosomes are small packages that are released by cells, which mediate communication between cells. Currently, very little is known about how exosomes are made within a cell. This project expects to identify key proteins that are involved in the production of exosomes and to understand exosomes synthesis, thereby expanding our knowledge on how cells regulate communication signals. Disse ....Understanding the biogenesis of exosomes. This project aims to understand how exosomes are made in human cells. Exosomes are small packages that are released by cells, which mediate communication between cells. Currently, very little is known about how exosomes are made within a cell. This project expects to identify key proteins that are involved in the production of exosomes and to understand exosomes synthesis, thereby expanding our knowledge on how cells regulate communication signals. Dissecting how exosomes are produced at the fundamental level will provide significant benefits such as a deeper understanding of how cells maintain normal cellular functions.Read moreRead less