Genomic and molecular characterisation of a novel Australian leishmania pathogen. Leishmaniasis is the second most serious protozoal disease after malaria. This project will help characterise the first Leishmania species identified in Australia providing molecular tools to monitor the pathogen and a detailed assessment of any potential risk to human health. Comparative analysis with more pathogenic species will help identify genes and mechanisms that determine the progression of human disease le ....Genomic and molecular characterisation of a novel Australian leishmania pathogen. Leishmaniasis is the second most serious protozoal disease after malaria. This project will help characterise the first Leishmania species identified in Australia providing molecular tools to monitor the pathogen and a detailed assessment of any potential risk to human health. Comparative analysis with more pathogenic species will help identify genes and mechanisms that determine the progression of human disease leading to the potential identification of new drug and vaccine targets. The methodologies and expertise developed will be used will be available to other research groups working on infectious diseases.Read moreRead less
Developmental genetics of malaria parasites. This project aims to improve our understanding of malarial genetics. The sexual cycle of malaria parasites occurs in mosquitoes. After sex, parasite progeny multiply to form infective spores that are injected into people by mosquito bite. Development of male and female malaria parasite gametes and their fusion to produce a diploid zygote are well understood, but the subsequent process of meiosis, development of a cyst stage and the sporogenic process ....Developmental genetics of malaria parasites. This project aims to improve our understanding of malarial genetics. The sexual cycle of malaria parasites occurs in mosquitoes. After sex, parasite progeny multiply to form infective spores that are injected into people by mosquito bite. Development of male and female malaria parasite gametes and their fusion to produce a diploid zygote are well understood, but the subsequent process of meiosis, development of a cyst stage and the sporogenic process to create haploid progeny for new infections are poorly understood in molecular genetic terms. The project aims to dissect the unique genetics of these insect stages using a rodent malaria model to generate crosses of different malaria parasite lines to determine when recombination takes effect.Read moreRead less
The biology, structure and function of bacterial virulence effectors. This project is closely aligned with the National Research Priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and will establish a research framework to investigate novel virulence processes that allow bacterial pathogens to infect humans and cause disease. This fresh approach to the study of bacterial pathogenesis will sit outside classic genetic methods to investigate infection and immunity which rely heavily on genetic manip ....The biology, structure and function of bacterial virulence effectors. This project is closely aligned with the National Research Priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and will establish a research framework to investigate novel virulence processes that allow bacterial pathogens to infect humans and cause disease. This fresh approach to the study of bacterial pathogenesis will sit outside classic genetic methods to investigate infection and immunity which rely heavily on genetic manipulation of the pathogen. Other than providing fundamental information on host-pathogen interactions, this work may lead to novel disease interventions by inhibition of bacterial virulence factor activity and/or enhancement of host inflammatory and immune responses.Read moreRead less
Autotransporter proteins of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7. Escherichi (E.) coli O157:H7 has caused hundreds of outbreaks in the United States and United Kingdom. Although not currently a major problem in Australia, the emergence of E. coli O157:H7 here would have serious implications for our meat and livestock industry. This study will provide important information for the selection of vaccine antigens used to prevent the colonisation of cattle with E. coli O157:H7 and other diarrho ....Autotransporter proteins of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7. Escherichi (E.) coli O157:H7 has caused hundreds of outbreaks in the United States and United Kingdom. Although not currently a major problem in Australia, the emergence of E. coli O157:H7 here would have serious implications for our meat and livestock industry. This study will provide important information for the selection of vaccine antigens used to prevent the colonisation of cattle with E. coli O157:H7 and other diarrhoeagenic E. coli serotypes. A direct outcome of this will be improved human health, as E. coli O157:H7 can cause life threatening infections in humans. The study will also examine the contribution of specific adhesins to biofilm formation; measures to prevent biofilm formation may reduce the persistence and spread of E. coli O157:H7 in the environment.Read moreRead less
Role of mRNA polyadenylation control in gene expression. Several benefits would come from a more complete understanding of the function of the messenger RNA poly(A) tail. It is frequently targeted by mechanisms that control cellular protein synthesis. This is most evident in developmental biology, where tail length control regulates maternal mRNA expression. Our previous work suggests that it has much wider importance for cellular function than previously thought and thus its study will produce ....Role of mRNA polyadenylation control in gene expression. Several benefits would come from a more complete understanding of the function of the messenger RNA poly(A) tail. It is frequently targeted by mechanisms that control cellular protein synthesis. This is most evident in developmental biology, where tail length control regulates maternal mRNA expression. Our previous work suggests that it has much wider importance for cellular function than previously thought and thus its study will produce knowledge of broad relevance to modern life sciences and its applications in medicine and biotechnology. Finally, a better understanding of yeast cellular biology is of benefit to the food and biotechnology sector of industry.Read moreRead less
Determining the sequence of events during eukaryotic translation initiation. Multiple benefits will arise from a more complete understanding of translation initiation. It is a frequent target for mechanisms that control gene expression and its dys-regulation is associated with human disease. For example, this is evident in cancer biology, since altered translation is a frequent cause of tumorigenesis. Translation is of universal importance for cellular function and knowledge of how it works is c ....Determining the sequence of events during eukaryotic translation initiation. Multiple benefits will arise from a more complete understanding of translation initiation. It is a frequent target for mechanisms that control gene expression and its dys-regulation is associated with human disease. For example, this is evident in cancer biology, since altered translation is a frequent cause of tumorigenesis. Translation is of universal importance for cellular function and knowledge of how it works is central to modern life sciences and its application to medical and biotechnological problems. Finally, a better understanding of yeast cellular biology is of benefit to the food and biotechnology sector of industry.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL170100008
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,248,822.00
Summary
Genes, reproduction and inheritance in a microbe. The project aims to particularly explore sexual gene inheritance in Plasmodium, a representative of a large group of human and animal parasites. Plasmodium must have a sexual exchange of genes in the mosquito for the transfer of disease to a new host. This project will investigate the fate and behaviour of Plasmodium genes during reproduction; the differing chromosome states resulting from sexual genetic processes and the asymmetrical inheritance ....Genes, reproduction and inheritance in a microbe. The project aims to particularly explore sexual gene inheritance in Plasmodium, a representative of a large group of human and animal parasites. Plasmodium must have a sexual exchange of genes in the mosquito for the transfer of disease to a new host. This project will investigate the fate and behaviour of Plasmodium genes during reproduction; the differing chromosome states resulting from sexual genetic processes and the asymmetrical inheritance of some Plasmodium genes. The project is expected to advance Australia’s ability to understand the reproduction and survival of these parasites in their mosquito vector and develop cutting-edge genetic tools that will advance the microbial genetics discipline globally. This may ultimately lead to biotechnology and biomedical outcomes.Read moreRead less
Further Genetic and Molecular studies of an Important Prokaryotic Regulator Protein TyrR. Genomes encode many functions whose expression varies dramatically depending on particular cellular environments. Special proteins called Regulator Proteins act as sensors to detect subtle changes in the environment and, in response, to influence the expression of certain genes either dampening them down or stimulating their activity. We are working with the TyrR regulator protein of the simple bacterium E ....Further Genetic and Molecular studies of an Important Prokaryotic Regulator Protein TyrR. Genomes encode many functions whose expression varies dramatically depending on particular cellular environments. Special proteins called Regulator Proteins act as sensors to detect subtle changes in the environment and, in response, to influence the expression of certain genes either dampening them down or stimulating their activity. We are working with the TyrR regulator protein of the simple bacterium Escherichia coli to elucidate the molecular strategies used in these controls. Because this protein controls the expression of a number of genes with diverse functions, evolution has selected equally diverse mechanisms to achieve appropriate transcriptional responses. The detailed knowledge of the E.coli genome and of the various genes regulated by TyrR make it an excellent system for such fundamental studies.Read moreRead less
Cellular Gene Regulation Networks. The benefit to Australia will be scientific in terms of providing an understanding of how cells integrate transcriptional control systems and the networks that are involved. This will inform research on folate deficiency and aberrant human development and towards identifying genes that are important in improving efficiency of microbial fermentations. Additional and more practical major benefits will follow from the development of tools to analyse interaction ....Cellular Gene Regulation Networks. The benefit to Australia will be scientific in terms of providing an understanding of how cells integrate transcriptional control systems and the networks that are involved. This will inform research on folate deficiency and aberrant human development and towards identifying genes that are important in improving efficiency of microbial fermentations. Additional and more practical major benefits will follow from the development of tools to analyse interactions between control systems, including software of value to the research community. The work will provide postgraduate students with major training in up-to-date genomic technologies, and in the interface between application of bioinformatics and experimental science.
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Genetic regulation of developmental competence: molecular mechanisms that establish a competent state. Development is a key biological process for multicellular life. This project will study development using a simple, established experimental organism, a fungus, as a model for development in other organisms, including humans. Moreover, fungi directly impact on life at many levels and understanding their biology has direct benefits for society.