Heterotrophically grown microalgae as a feed source for the Australian aquaculture industry. The Australian aquaculture industry has rapidly grown in the past decade producing premium quality, high value species, e.g. tuna and oyster. In the new millennia it is predicted that the Australia aquaculture industry will be the most profitable area within the Australian seafood industry. An integral component for the long-term sustainability of the Australian aquaculture industry is the availability o ....Heterotrophically grown microalgae as a feed source for the Australian aquaculture industry. The Australian aquaculture industry has rapidly grown in the past decade producing premium quality, high value species, e.g. tuna and oyster. In the new millennia it is predicted that the Australia aquaculture industry will be the most profitable area within the Australian seafood industry. An integral component for the long-term sustainability of the Australian aquaculture industry is the availability of top-quality microalgal concentrates, shelf-stable pastes or live feeds, which provide the nutritional requirements of aquatic species in the hatcheries. This project will develop novel microalgal production strategies that would add value to the Australian aquaculture industry.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354787
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Research Network for Biotechnological and Environmental Applications of Microalgae (BEAM). The network will facilitate inderdisciplinary and collaborative research into the limitations on microalgal growth leading to the development of new, commercial-scale microalgae culture systems, the production of fine chemicals, bioactive compounds and renewable fuels (hydrogen), as well as environmental applications such as monitoring the physiological state of phytoplankton in the environment, CO2 biorem ....Research Network for Biotechnological and Environmental Applications of Microalgae (BEAM). The network will facilitate inderdisciplinary and collaborative research into the limitations on microalgal growth leading to the development of new, commercial-scale microalgae culture systems, the production of fine chemicals, bioactive compounds and renewable fuels (hydrogen), as well as environmental applications such as monitoring the physiological state of phytoplankton in the environment, CO2 bioremediation and algal/bacterial systems for the bioremediation of contaminated soils. This will be achieved by applying research on photosynthetic light utilisation efficiency and carbon fixation, chlorophyll fluorescence, biochemistry of secondary metabolites, molecular biology and photobioreactor design and engineering, informed by an understanding of the ecology of these algae.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100837
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,000.00
Summary
Engineering enzymes controlling plant polysaccharide properties. This project will aim to use data to define how the synthesis and interconversion of nucleotide sugars is regulated and how this controls the properties of arabinoxylan in economically important plants. Dietary consumption of arabinoxylan reduces chronic diseases. Additionally, the attributes of arabinoxylan influence the cost of processing plant biomass. However, genetic control of the properties of the plant polysaccharide arabin ....Engineering enzymes controlling plant polysaccharide properties. This project will aim to use data to define how the synthesis and interconversion of nucleotide sugars is regulated and how this controls the properties of arabinoxylan in economically important plants. Dietary consumption of arabinoxylan reduces chronic diseases. Additionally, the attributes of arabinoxylan influence the cost of processing plant biomass. However, genetic control of the properties of the plant polysaccharide arabinoxylan is unresolved. A major control point in the partitioning of carbon from photosynthesis into arabinoxylan is the activity of sugar nucleotide interconverting enzymes. To characterise these enzymes, genomic, glycomic and enzyme kinetic data will be combined and the target enzymes will be modified in transgenic plants.Read moreRead less
More than defence: primary roles for cyanogenic glucosides. The tropical crop, sorghum, produces toxic cyanide to avoid being eaten by herbivores, but this diverts resources away from growth and reproduction. Using non-toxic sorghum mutants, this project seeks to explain how cyanide production is regulated and enhance agricultural efficiency in the face of climate change.
Cellulose-based composites as models for primary plant cell walls of cereals and grasses. Cereals and grasses are the lynchpins of the Australian Agri-Food industry. Cell walls provide shape, form and barrier properties to the plant and are the basis for both post-harvest mechanical properties and direct nutritional benefits. There is as yet no validated model for the molecular assembly, architecture and mechanical behaviour of cereal/grass cell walls. This project aims to derive such a model, s ....Cellulose-based composites as models for primary plant cell walls of cereals and grasses. Cereals and grasses are the lynchpins of the Australian Agri-Food industry. Cell walls provide shape, form and barrier properties to the plant and are the basis for both post-harvest mechanical properties and direct nutritional benefits. There is as yet no validated model for the molecular assembly, architecture and mechanical behaviour of cereal/grass cell walls. This project aims to derive such a model, so that predictions can be made concerning the effects of tailoring either plant composition (e.g. at the gene level) or post-harvest treatment in order to achieve desired plant or food properties. The findings will also be relevant to understanding how individual features of cell walls affect digestibility and nutritional properties.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101570
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$352,000.00
Summary
Inducible hyper-expression as a tool for metabolic engineering. This project aims to develop methods to improve plant natural products yields and diversify the products manufactured from a wide array of plant species. Valuable plant metabolites, including chemotherapeutics and opiates, are usually synthesised in minute amounts and can be so complex they can’t be chemically manufactured, limiting their use and affordability. This project aims to develop an inducible system that confers hyper-elev ....Inducible hyper-expression as a tool for metabolic engineering. This project aims to develop methods to improve plant natural products yields and diversify the products manufactured from a wide array of plant species. Valuable plant metabolites, including chemotherapeutics and opiates, are usually synthesised in minute amounts and can be so complex they can’t be chemically manufactured, limiting their use and affordability. This project aims to develop an inducible system that confers hyper-elevated levels of gene expression and independent control of multiple genes involved in metabolite synthesis in the same host. This technology is expected to enable flexible multi-trait bio-factories to be developed.Read moreRead less
Channels for improved crop salt and water stress tolerance. Water and salt are critical factors for the Australian agricultural industry. Crops use proteins called aquaporins to move water across cell membranes, and a newly discovered subset of these proteins can also transport salts. This project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and salt transport via aquaporins using multidisciplinary techniques in genetics, molecular biology and electrophysiology. These results will p ....Channels for improved crop salt and water stress tolerance. Water and salt are critical factors for the Australian agricultural industry. Crops use proteins called aquaporins to move water across cell membranes, and a newly discovered subset of these proteins can also transport salts. This project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and salt transport via aquaporins using multidisciplinary techniques in genetics, molecular biology and electrophysiology. These results will provide novel insights into how plants coordinate and adapt to changing water and salt conditions, answering key questions in plant physiology. Benefits include an expanded, innovative range of targets for plant breeding programs to improve plant productivity in our changing climate.Read moreRead less
Deciphering how plants control water and salt co-transport. This project aims to increase our understanding of how plant cells regulate solute transport. Crop growth depends on water uptake and transport, and the rapid movement of water across plant cell membranes requires transporters such as aquaporins. Preliminary data indicates that a series of signals can switch aquaporins between functioning as highly selective water channels and salt transport channels. The project aims to reveal the mole ....Deciphering how plants control water and salt co-transport. This project aims to increase our understanding of how plant cells regulate solute transport. Crop growth depends on water uptake and transport, and the rapid movement of water across plant cell membranes requires transporters such as aquaporins. Preliminary data indicates that a series of signals can switch aquaporins between functioning as highly selective water channels and salt transport channels. The project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and salt co-transport, using genetics, molecular biology, and electrophysiology data to decipher how plants regulate and coordinate aquaporin solute transport during growth and in osmotic adjustment. The project has the potential to lead to improvements in crop-plant solute transport traits, enhanced agricultural productivity, and yield stability in saline and water limited environments.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101484
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,000.00
Summary
Developing custom RNA processing tools. The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) code has been described as an RNA code that connects specific residues in PPR motifs with the precise recognition of individual nucleotides. It will enable the design of custom RNA-binding proteins with tremendous potential in research and biotechnology. RNA-processing technologies aim to be developed that consist of PPR domains fused with an additional endonuclease domain for cleaving chosen target RNAs. In the longer te ....Developing custom RNA processing tools. The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) code has been described as an RNA code that connects specific residues in PPR motifs with the precise recognition of individual nucleotides. It will enable the design of custom RNA-binding proteins with tremendous potential in research and biotechnology. RNA-processing technologies aim to be developed that consist of PPR domains fused with an additional endonuclease domain for cleaving chosen target RNAs. In the longer term, successful technologies will be tested in living organisms for biotechnology applications or in new therapeutic strategies.Read moreRead less
Plant microRNA systems: investigating slicing versus translational repression and the development of an anti-viral defence mechanism. The ability to specifically switch off genes has revolutionised biotechnological approaches, from fighting diseases to developing superior crops, however the underlying mechanism is poorly understood, limiting its application in practice. Outcomes from this project will provide such knowledge, allowing its precise use in diverse applications.