Investigation of the metabolism, molecular targets and environmental fate of the seed germination stimulant, butenolide. The potent germination stimulant, known as butenolide, is expected to provide substantial benefits for improving seed germination and seedling vigour of many plant species used in agriculture, land restoration and rehabilitation. Currently, little is known about the stability, persistence and distribution of the butenolide in natural environments and the mechanism of seed dorm ....Investigation of the metabolism, molecular targets and environmental fate of the seed germination stimulant, butenolide. The potent germination stimulant, known as butenolide, is expected to provide substantial benefits for improving seed germination and seedling vigour of many plant species used in agriculture, land restoration and rehabilitation. Currently, little is known about the stability, persistence and distribution of the butenolide in natural environments and the mechanism of seed dormancy breaking. This study now provides a unique opportunity for Australian research to establish a world-leading position in understanding the processes that regulate seed dormancy, particularly in relation to post-mining land rehabilitation. The research findings will also have wider application in plant conservation, weed control and crop production.Read moreRead less
Indian Sandalwood: genetic and oil diversity, and oil biochemistry of the Australian germplasm collection. The main aim is to improve the commerciality of the sandalwood industry in tropical Australia through smarter tree selection and breeding by development of knowledge of oil quality and quantity, oil biochemistry and DNA marker-assisted selection of the germplasm collection available in Australia.
Synthesis and evaluation of labelled germination stimulants for determining the role of butenolide in promoting seed germination. The discovery of the germination promotive agent in smoke (a butenolide) represents a major and internationally significant scientific discovery for Australia and provides exciting opportunities for benefits in agriculture, natural lands management and restoration sciences. The activity demonstrated with a broad range of species shows that the butenolide has general a ....Synthesis and evaluation of labelled germination stimulants for determining the role of butenolide in promoting seed germination. The discovery of the germination promotive agent in smoke (a butenolide) represents a major and internationally significant scientific discovery for Australia and provides exciting opportunities for benefits in agriculture, natural lands management and restoration sciences. The activity demonstrated with a broad range of species shows that the butenolide has general applicability worldwide. This study now provides a unique opportunity for Australian research to establish a world-leading position in understanding the butenolide mode of action within plant seeds which will result in a significant advance in our understanding of the processes that regulate seed dormancy in many plant species. Read moreRead less
Circular Plant Proteins with Pharmaceutical Applications. The proposed research will develop methods for using plants as protein production factories. Initially I will use plants to create engineered cyclotides that incorporate peptides with proven therapeutic activity against cancer and multiple sclerosis. Successful production of therapeutic proteins in plants will benefit Australians by making treatments for these and other diseases more accessible. It also has the potential for a major econo ....Circular Plant Proteins with Pharmaceutical Applications. The proposed research will develop methods for using plants as protein production factories. Initially I will use plants to create engineered cyclotides that incorporate peptides with proven therapeutic activity against cancer and multiple sclerosis. Successful production of therapeutic proteins in plants will benefit Australians by making treatments for these and other diseases more accessible. It also has the potential for a major economic benefit from the sales of Australian-based drugs. This proposal will also provide outstanding research training for graduate students in multidisciplinary methods that constitute state-of the-art structural and plant molecular biology.Read moreRead less
Defining factors that influence protein turnover in plants. This project aims to discover how the functions of different proteins change as they age, and to define factors that dictate protein stability inside plants. This project will change protein turnover rates in plants by altering a regulator of this process to assess the role of this regulator in different plant developmental transitions. Expected outcomes include showing how protein abundance can be altered in plants for our future agric ....Defining factors that influence protein turnover in plants. This project aims to discover how the functions of different proteins change as they age, and to define factors that dictate protein stability inside plants. This project will change protein turnover rates in plants by altering a regulator of this process to assess the role of this regulator in different plant developmental transitions. Expected outcomes include showing how protein abundance can be altered in plants for our future agricultural and biotechnology needs. This will provide significant benefits, such as discovering processes inside plant cells that maintain the quality of different kinds of proteins and propose how different kinds of proteins can be stabilised for plant biotechnology applications.Read moreRead less
Advancing our understanding of plant responses to low phosphorus availability beyond the transcriptome. Phosphorus is essential for plant growth. Plants have evolved mechanisms to cope with the poor availability of phosphorus in many soils. This project will improve Australia's knowledge of how plants alter the expression of genes and proteins to activate their mechanisms for coping with poor phosphorus availability in some soils.