Molecular basis of the interaction between plant disease resistance proteins and pathogen avirulence proteins. Management of crop diseases involves the integrated use of resistant cultivars and the application of chemical pesticides. Many diseases, however, including rust, continue to pose an economically significant threat to agricultural productivity in Australia. The research outlined in this proposal aims to understand the mechanisms, at a molecular and structural level, that enable resistan ....Molecular basis of the interaction between plant disease resistance proteins and pathogen avirulence proteins. Management of crop diseases involves the integrated use of resistant cultivars and the application of chemical pesticides. Many diseases, however, including rust, continue to pose an economically significant threat to agricultural productivity in Australia. The research outlined in this proposal aims to understand the mechanisms, at a molecular and structural level, that enable resistant plants to detect and respond to pathogen attack. The outcomes of this currently unavailable fundamental understanding will enable new, durable and more effective resistance genes to be engineered. Therefore, the work has significant economic and environmental implications for agricultural crop plant productivity in this country.Read moreRead less
Retroviral invasion of the koala genome: Where did it come from and what is it doing now that its there? Although some populations of free-ranging koalas are flourishing, many are in decline as a result of habitat loss and disease. We have shown that a recently identified virus that has infected koalas throughout most mainland Australian populations is associated with high rates of cancer in these animals. This project will study the growth properties of this virus and the mechanism by which it ....Retroviral invasion of the koala genome: Where did it come from and what is it doing now that its there? Although some populations of free-ranging koalas are flourishing, many are in decline as a result of habitat loss and disease. We have shown that a recently identified virus that has infected koalas throughout most mainland Australian populations is associated with high rates of cancer in these animals. This project will study the growth properties of this virus and the mechanism by which it causes cancer in order to provide a foundation for developing intervention strategies for protection of this iconic Australian species.Read moreRead less
Understanding the molecular basis of marine invertebrate larval settlement and metamorphosis using complementary molecular, developmental, chemical and ecological approaches. The colonisation and fouling of submerged structures is a major economic problem for maritime industries. This proposal will detail the molecular mechanisms underlying the first crucial steps of marine invertebrate colonisation - settlement and metamorphosis - and determine how natural anti-foulant chemicals impact on these ....Understanding the molecular basis of marine invertebrate larval settlement and metamorphosis using complementary molecular, developmental, chemical and ecological approaches. The colonisation and fouling of submerged structures is a major economic problem for maritime industries. This proposal will detail the molecular mechanisms underlying the first crucial steps of marine invertebrate colonisation - settlement and metamorphosis - and determine how natural anti-foulant chemicals impact on these developmental processes. By using complementary developmental, molecular, chemical and ecological approaches, we will obtain knowledge of key control points in settlement and metamorphosis, and thus identify potential pest management strategies. This proposal comprehensively delineates the role of novel anti-foulants, linking their effect on invertebrate development with their role in shaping marine communities on natural and built surfaces.Read moreRead less
Peptides and Proteins for Fighting Pests and Protecting the Environment. This project aims to use peptides and proteins to fight pests and protect the environment, which is significant because current practices have unintended harmful effects and are unsustainable. Achieving these aims must first involve scientific development of ecofriendly lead molecules. This project will develop platform technologies for the design of bioactive peptides or proteins based on molecules used naturally for highl ....Peptides and Proteins for Fighting Pests and Protecting the Environment. This project aims to use peptides and proteins to fight pests and protect the environment, which is significant because current practices have unintended harmful effects and are unsustainable. Achieving these aims must first involve scientific development of ecofriendly lead molecules. This project will develop platform technologies for the design of bioactive peptides or proteins based on molecules used naturally for highly selective functions in communication and defence. Expected outcomes include novel peptide and protein leads and improved strategies for developing them, which will lead to new and safer ways of protecting biodiversity and food security that are expected to reduce our environmental footprint and bring economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial pest management - physicochemical definition of oviposition sites for development of cost-efficient artificial substrates. The mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial purposes demands the development of cost-effective techniques for breeding and distributing them to growers. Many predatory beneficial insects lay their eggs in sites that prevent effective mass culturing. To circumvent this difficulty, it should be possible to defin ....Mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial pest management - physicochemical definition of oviposition sites for development of cost-efficient artificial substrates. The mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial purposes demands the development of cost-effective techniques for breeding and distributing them to growers. Many predatory beneficial insects lay their eggs in sites that prevent effective mass culturing. To circumvent this difficulty, it should be possible to define such oviposition sites in chemical and physical terms, and then use the information to develop artificial substrates that are convenient for mass rearing the insects and for disseminating them to growers. We will use the mealybug predator Cryptolaemus montrouszieri to test the feasibility of this approach and to assess its application to other beneficial species.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology and Development. The Centre will create a multidisciplinary research team focusing on the molecular mechanisms that drive the specification and differentiation of male germ cells. This research will improve our fundamental understanding of how complex regulatory networks control the expression of a complex phenotype, the spermatozoon. It will also create a platform of knowledge from which we can stimulate the growth of the Australian Biotechnology indust ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology and Development. The Centre will create a multidisciplinary research team focusing on the molecular mechanisms that drive the specification and differentiation of male germ cells. This research will improve our fundamental understanding of how complex regulatory networks control the expression of a complex phenotype, the spermatozoon. It will also create a platform of knowledge from which we can stimulate the growth of the Australian Biotechnology industry, the protection of the Australian Environment and the well-being of the Australian people. Key issues for this Centre include testicular cancer, male infertility, contraception, pest animal control, environmental impacts on human health and gene pharming.Read moreRead less
Identifying novel insecticides and their targets: probing Australian arachnid venoms. Insect pests destroy an estimated 2-3 billion dollars of crops in Australia. Insect pests also are responsible for the transmission of many new and re-emerging human, animal and plant diseases threatening health, wellbeing and prosperity. Current insecticides are severely limited by toxicity and/or insect resistance, and some are undergoing use cancellation overseas. Thus there is an urgent need to develop safe ....Identifying novel insecticides and their targets: probing Australian arachnid venoms. Insect pests destroy an estimated 2-3 billion dollars of crops in Australia. Insect pests also are responsible for the transmission of many new and re-emerging human, animal and plant diseases threatening health, wellbeing and prosperity. Current insecticides are severely limited by toxicity and/or insect resistance, and some are undergoing use cancellation overseas. Thus there is an urgent need to develop safer and more specific insecticides that are effective against disease vectors and agricultural pest insects, as well as to identify new insecticide targets. This research has a multi-million dollar potential benefit to agricultural, health and pest control sectorsRead moreRead less
Elucidating the molecular basis of plant potyvirus resistance . Plant viruses are responsible for a large proportion of crop losses, and genetic resistance is currently the most effective means to control viral spread. This project investigates, on a molecular and structural level, host factors that plant viruses hijack during infection, and in particular, the mutations in these factors that confer resistance. We further aim to elucidate the mechanisms by which plant viruses overcome resistance ....Elucidating the molecular basis of plant potyvirus resistance . Plant viruses are responsible for a large proportion of crop losses, and genetic resistance is currently the most effective means to control viral spread. This project investigates, on a molecular and structural level, host factors that plant viruses hijack during infection, and in particular, the mutations in these factors that confer resistance. We further aim to elucidate the mechanisms by which plant viruses overcome resistance mediated by these host factors. A detailed understanding of the molecular interactions between plant viruses and their host will enable new, robust and more effective forms of resistance to be engineered. This work therefore has economic and environmental implications for agricultural productivity in Australia. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100083
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$540,000.00
Summary
A high throughput phenomics facility for pace of life traits in animals. A high throughput phenomics facility for pace of life traits in animals: This project seeks to create the first high-throughput phenomic facility for animals in Australia. The molecular revolution has brought unprecedented capacity to understand genetic variation. Genetic variation is now better understood and more easily and cheaply characterised than the physical traits that organisms exhibit. Linking phenotypic variation ....A high throughput phenomics facility for pace of life traits in animals. A high throughput phenomics facility for pace of life traits in animals: This project seeks to create the first high-throughput phenomic facility for animals in Australia. The molecular revolution has brought unprecedented capacity to understand genetic variation. Genetic variation is now better understood and more easily and cheaply characterised than the physical traits that organisms exhibit. Linking phenotypic variation to genetic variation represents the major challenge in harnessing the power of the biomolecular age. This facility will accommodate animals from marine, freshwater and terrestrial systems across a diverse array of phyla. It will allow Australian researchers to leverage advances in high throughput genomic technologies to address a major bottleneck in biology.Read moreRead less
Decoding the rules of fate, attraction and cell migration in perciform fish. This project will interrogate primordial germ cell migration to reveal new insights into the molecular basis of cell migration and chemosensory communication. Key residues needed for ligand-receptor binding and environmental impacts on migration will be investigated with valuable implications in reproductive developmental biology and applied science.