The basis of recognition and disposal of dysfunctional proteins by clusterin. When proteins become damaged they can precipitate. A blood protein called clusterin prevents precipitation of damaged proteins. Clusterin does this by forming complexes with the damaged proteins. Clusterin is the first blood protein known to do this. We will discover which parts of clusterin are responsible for this activity. We will also discover whether cells can take up and dispose of the complexes of clusterin and ....The basis of recognition and disposal of dysfunctional proteins by clusterin. When proteins become damaged they can precipitate. A blood protein called clusterin prevents precipitation of damaged proteins. Clusterin does this by forming complexes with the damaged proteins. Clusterin is the first blood protein known to do this. We will discover which parts of clusterin are responsible for this activity. We will also discover whether cells can take up and dispose of the complexes of clusterin and damaged proteins. This work is important because some diseases (eg, Alzheimers disease) involve the toxic effects of abnormal protein precipitation. Understanding how clusterin works may help in developing better treatments for these diseases.Read moreRead less
Structural and functional characterisation of PI3Kgamma, uniquely activated by p101. The movement of cells is involved in all aspects of life including development, growth and maintenance of organisms. In spite of this, our understanding of the mechanism involved in cell migration is limited. There are a number of conditions in which the ability to control cell movement would be of significant benefit. Examples include autoimmune conditions, asthma and cancer, the social and economic burdens ....Structural and functional characterisation of PI3Kgamma, uniquely activated by p101. The movement of cells is involved in all aspects of life including development, growth and maintenance of organisms. In spite of this, our understanding of the mechanism involved in cell migration is limited. There are a number of conditions in which the ability to control cell movement would be of significant benefit. Examples include autoimmune conditions, asthma and cancer, the social and economic burdens of which account for billions of dollars and millions of Australians. This project aims to understand one of the major mechanisms that controls cell migration, which is expected to produce significant economic and social outcomes in the areas of basic science knowledge, human health, and biotechnology. Read moreRead less
Foundations for a Cognitive Biology. Understanding cognition has important implications for individual and social wellbeing and thus for the nation's economic health. Until the many disciplines concerned with cognition can effectively integrate their disparate findings, public investment in cognitive research will not yield benefits to its potential. The project aims to produce a coherent model of cognition that will facilitate new cross-disciplinary approaches to research, thereby improving Aus ....Foundations for a Cognitive Biology. Understanding cognition has important implications for individual and social wellbeing and thus for the nation's economic health. Until the many disciplines concerned with cognition can effectively integrate their disparate findings, public investment in cognitive research will not yield benefits to its potential. The project aims to produce a coherent model of cognition that will facilitate new cross-disciplinary approaches to research, thereby improving Australia's means of promoting and maintaining healthy cognitive function and treating cognitive dysfunction.Read moreRead less
Phylogeny and radiation of flatworm ectoparasites from marine fish using morphology and genetics, with novel approaches to identify pathogenic species. Fish flukes (flatworm parasites) with direct lifecycles can weaken and kill captive fish and threaten lucrative industries like finfish aquaculture and public aquaria in Australia and globally. Traditional approaches and molecular techniques will identify monogenean flukes in a family containing known pathogenic species distributed worldwide. K ....Phylogeny and radiation of flatworm ectoparasites from marine fish using morphology and genetics, with novel approaches to identify pathogenic species. Fish flukes (flatworm parasites) with direct lifecycles can weaken and kill captive fish and threaten lucrative industries like finfish aquaculture and public aquaria in Australia and globally. Traditional approaches and molecular techniques will identify monogenean flukes in a family containing known pathogenic species distributed worldwide. Knowledge of fish disease is paramount for quarantine, risk assessments for import/export and for managing pathogen outbreaks in aquaculture. Benefits include: economic/social improvements in regional/rural Australia where fish farms are expanding; international excellence and core research training in fish parasitology; profitable, exportable expertise; knowledge of endemic and shared pathogens.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989336
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$560,000.00
Summary
The South Australian Facility for Small and Large Molecule X-Ray Diffraction Structure Determination. The precise three dimensional arrangement of atoms within molecular and macromolecular structures defines their function. Thus, the discovery, development and application of biological compounds, catalysts, nanodevices and pharmaceuticals require X-ray diffraction structure determination. These endeavours underpin the conversion of academic research into real benefits for the community and are ....The South Australian Facility for Small and Large Molecule X-Ray Diffraction Structure Determination. The precise three dimensional arrangement of atoms within molecular and macromolecular structures defines their function. Thus, the discovery, development and application of biological compounds, catalysts, nanodevices and pharmaceuticals require X-ray diffraction structure determination. These endeavours underpin the conversion of academic research into real benefits for the community and are critical for the competitiveness of Australian industry, national productivity and economic growth. This application seeks to provide a facility for multidisciplinary scientific development that will enhance academic-industrial collaboration. This will position SA research community for scientific breakthroughs that benefit the Australian community.Read moreRead less
Cell-free immune reactions and suppression. Insects pests and insect vectors of diseases are managed by toxic substances, but insects have a cunning ability to persist. How pesticide-tolerant insect pests recognise and inactivate chemical and biological toxins is poorly understood. While vertebrates with a closed circulatory system use coagulation reactions mainly for wound-healing, invertebrates employ cell-free aggregation reactions for the sequestration and inactivation of potentially damagin ....Cell-free immune reactions and suppression. Insects pests and insect vectors of diseases are managed by toxic substances, but insects have a cunning ability to persist. How pesticide-tolerant insect pests recognise and inactivate chemical and biological toxins is poorly understood. While vertebrates with a closed circulatory system use coagulation reactions mainly for wound-healing, invertebrates employ cell-free aggregation reactions for the sequestration and inactivation of potentially damaging objects and substances. We use insect plasma to dissect recognition and inactivation of damaging objects and substances with the aim to understand tolerance and its inhibition to design novel strategies in delaying tolerance to pesticides in insect pests.Read moreRead less
The puzzle of Metazoan life history evolution: are feeding larvae always primitive? Most marine animals have a complex life-cycles with alternating pelagic larvae and benthic adults. An theory about animal life-history evolution states that feeding larvae are always primitive and larval feeding is lost but not gained. This hypothesis is based in part on studies on the 'classical' trochophore of marine worms such as Serpulidae, a group with both feeding and non-feeding larvae. We intend to establ ....The puzzle of Metazoan life history evolution: are feeding larvae always primitive? Most marine animals have a complex life-cycles with alternating pelagic larvae and benthic adults. An theory about animal life-history evolution states that feeding larvae are always primitive and larval feeding is lost but not gained. This hypothesis is based in part on studies on the 'classical' trochophore of marine worms such as Serpulidae, a group with both feeding and non-feeding larvae. We intend to establish a detailed phylogeny for Serpulidae and assess the evolution of larvae in the group. If feeding larvae are shown to be secondary this will raise doubts about established theories of animal evolution.Read moreRead less
ARC Research Network for Understanding and Managing Australian Biodiversity. Biodiversity research is strong in Australia but is highly uncoordinated and, along with recent major breakthroughs in both theory and techniques, has highlighted the need for a Network to properly integrate research and focus it on the most appropriate scale. This Network aims to bring together a diverse spectrum of highly experienced and early career researchers to pool their ideas and expertise to allow them to deter ....ARC Research Network for Understanding and Managing Australian Biodiversity. Biodiversity research is strong in Australia but is highly uncoordinated and, along with recent major breakthroughs in both theory and techniques, has highlighted the need for a Network to properly integrate research and focus it on the most appropriate scale. This Network aims to bring together a diverse spectrum of highly experienced and early career researchers to pool their ideas and expertise to allow them to determine how best to describe Australia's current biodiversity and the biological and environmental history leading up to the present. A major outcome will be the ability to predict the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity to assist management decisions across Australia, with lessons of global importance.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347746
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$199,000.00
Summary
Circular-dichroism stopped-flow spectrometer for rapid molecular interactions and membrane transport. A stopped-flow spectroscope is requested that can capture the rapid kinetics of changes in conformation of biopolymers, macromolecules and chiral catalysts as they interact with other molecules. This includes measurement of rapid transport of solutes through membrane proteins in lipid membranes. The versatile instrument can also determine circular dichroism spectra of peptides, proteins, tannins ....Circular-dichroism stopped-flow spectrometer for rapid molecular interactions and membrane transport. A stopped-flow spectroscope is requested that can capture the rapid kinetics of changes in conformation of biopolymers, macromolecules and chiral catalysts as they interact with other molecules. This includes measurement of rapid transport of solutes through membrane proteins in lipid membranes. The versatile instrument can also determine circular dichroism spectra of peptides, proteins, tannins, pigment complexes and chiral catalysts that is required within several existing collaborations to understand the tertiary structures, stability and interactions between the complex molecules. The instrument will significantly strengthen research on macromolecules and polymers that have applications in the wine industry, nanotechnology, and biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Evolution of host relationships among the parasitic wasps inferred from morphology, DNA sequences and mitochondrial genome organisation. The parasitic Hymenoptera (wasps) are extensively used as biological control agents of agricultural and horticultural pests worldwide, but detailed information on their evolutionary relationships, how they have coevolved with major host groups, and the patterns of host relationships across various wasp families are lacking. This project will employ DNA sequence ....Evolution of host relationships among the parasitic wasps inferred from morphology, DNA sequences and mitochondrial genome organisation. The parasitic Hymenoptera (wasps) are extensively used as biological control agents of agricultural and horticultural pests worldwide, but detailed information on their evolutionary relationships, how they have coevolved with major host groups, and the patterns of host relationships across various wasp families are lacking. This project will employ DNA sequence data from 'new' genes, information on mitochondrial genome organisation, as well as morphology, to generate robust phylogenies for braconid and scelionid wasps that can be used to determine patterns of host utilisation and predict hosts for wasp groups where this information is currently unknown.Read moreRead less