Regulatory mechanisms for calcium release-activated calcium channels. Store-operated calcium channels play a central role in the functions of all animal cells. They participate in generating the cellular responses to hormones, growth factors and other physiological stimuli. The aims of this project are to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate the activity of store-operated channels and how their properties can be modulated by different pharmacological agents. Using chiefly the techniques of ele ....Regulatory mechanisms for calcium release-activated calcium channels. Store-operated calcium channels play a central role in the functions of all animal cells. They participate in generating the cellular responses to hormones, growth factors and other physiological stimuli. The aims of this project are to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate the activity of store-operated channels and how their properties can be modulated by different pharmacological agents. Using chiefly the techniques of electrophysiology and molecular biology we expect to learn the fundamental mechanisms that modulate the opening and closing of store-operated calcium channels and to gain an important information that can be used for determining the molecular structure of these channelsRead moreRead less
Protein modifications in plant mitochondria: towards functional proteomics. Energy production within plants in cellular structures called mitochondria is vital for their growth and development and is central to the early success of germinating and growing seedlings. This project intends to analyse mitochondria within plants using state of the art instrumentation and technologies. The findings from this research have the potential to directly flow into the plant biotechnology industry and could a ....Protein modifications in plant mitochondria: towards functional proteomics. Energy production within plants in cellular structures called mitochondria is vital for their growth and development and is central to the early success of germinating and growing seedlings. This project intends to analyse mitochondria within plants using state of the art instrumentation and technologies. The findings from this research have the potential to directly flow into the plant biotechnology industry and could assist the future development of Australian agriculture through genetic improvements. The expertise developed by this work will ensure that Australia is well placed to exploit future advances in this field and to further generate the development of novel biotechnological applications in agriculture.Read moreRead less
High Resolution EM Tomography of Specialised Plasma Membrane Domains. This project will provide National benefits in two major areas. Firstly, these studies will greatly increase our understanding of the cellular structures which are crucial to the functioning of cells in the body. Understanding the structure of the components of animal cells in three dimensions will provide long-term benefits in the quest to understand how a cell works in health and what goes wrong in disease. Secondly, this pr ....High Resolution EM Tomography of Specialised Plasma Membrane Domains. This project will provide National benefits in two major areas. Firstly, these studies will greatly increase our understanding of the cellular structures which are crucial to the functioning of cells in the body. Understanding the structure of the components of animal cells in three dimensions will provide long-term benefits in the quest to understand how a cell works in health and what goes wrong in disease. Secondly, this project will allow us to develop the new method of electron microscope tomography and apply it to a crucial question in biology. This will be a vital technique for Australian investigators in the coming years and this project will allow scientists and students to be trained in these state-of-the-art techniques.Read moreRead less
Prof Parton is a cell biologist studying how the plasma membrane functions in health and in disease. These studies have provided new insights into potential vehicles that can be used to introduce therapeutic agents into cells.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882864
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$260,000.00
Summary
High Speed Fluorescence Imaging coupled with Total Internal Reflection Microscopy and Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching System. The addition of the TIRF equipment will provide researchers with access to one of Australia's most technologically advanced light microscopy systems. This system will support research across a number of high profile areas, and promote strategic collaborations in cell and neurobiology. The high resolution fast acquisition TIRF system will significantly enhance r ....High Speed Fluorescence Imaging coupled with Total Internal Reflection Microscopy and Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching System. The addition of the TIRF equipment will provide researchers with access to one of Australia's most technologically advanced light microscopy systems. This system will support research across a number of high profile areas, and promote strategic collaborations in cell and neurobiology. The high resolution fast acquisition TIRF system will significantly enhance research capacity and research excellence. Its acquisition will allow Australia to play a major role in the global challenge to advance understanding of cellular and molecular events, contributing significantly to the National Research Priority Area of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.Read moreRead less
Activation mechanisms of store-operated calcium channels in liver cells. Currently, one of the most active areas of research in biology involves the molecular mechanisms that control the activity of cells. Defining these will provide a deeper understanding of normal function and disease, and provide potential therapeutic targets. This group has an international reputation for its work and it makes a major input to maintaining Australia as a significant contributor to this field. While its resea ....Activation mechanisms of store-operated calcium channels in liver cells. Currently, one of the most active areas of research in biology involves the molecular mechanisms that control the activity of cells. Defining these will provide a deeper understanding of normal function and disease, and provide potential therapeutic targets. This group has an international reputation for its work and it makes a major input to maintaining Australia as a significant contributor to this field. While its research has broad application in biology, its specific focus, calcium signalling in the liver, will provide the basis for understanding liver function and disease and, potentially, for developing new treatments for liver disease associated with abnormal calcium homeostasis.Read moreRead less
Signalling cross-talk through Suppressors Of Cytokine Signalling (SOCS) initiates luteolysis in the ovary. Members of the newly discovered SOCS protein family block cytokine signal transduction pathways, including those for prolactin and GH. We have discovered that one of these proteins, SOCS-3, is upregulated in the corpus luteum of the ovary by prostaglandins and propose that induction of prolactin or GH resistance is a hitherto unrecognised and critical step in luteolysis. We have also disco ....Signalling cross-talk through Suppressors Of Cytokine Signalling (SOCS) initiates luteolysis in the ovary. Members of the newly discovered SOCS protein family block cytokine signal transduction pathways, including those for prolactin and GH. We have discovered that one of these proteins, SOCS-3, is upregulated in the corpus luteum of the ovary by prostaglandins and propose that induction of prolactin or GH resistance is a hitherto unrecognised and critical step in luteolysis. We have also discovered that this cross-talk between prostaglandin- and cytokine-receptor signalling pathways occurs in preadipocyte and breast cell lines and propose that this research will serve as a paradigm for understanding how sensitivity to cytokines can be controlled at a molecular level.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Plasma Membrane Microdomains In Cellualar Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,083,868.00
Summary
The planned research program relates to novel hypotheses regarding the role of cell surface domains in organising signalling pathways at the cell surface. The proposal will involve identifying the domains and molecules involved in specific signalling pathways and dissecting the formation and function of surface structures called caveolae. The findings will have huge importance for therapeutic strategies aimed at combating the cellular changes associated with cell transformation in cancer and oth ....The planned research program relates to novel hypotheses regarding the role of cell surface domains in organising signalling pathways at the cell surface. The proposal will involve identifying the domains and molecules involved in specific signalling pathways and dissecting the formation and function of surface structures called caveolae. The findings will have huge importance for therapeutic strategies aimed at combating the cellular changes associated with cell transformation in cancer and other human diseases.Read moreRead less
Functional Characterization Of Caveolae And Caveolins
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$140,660.00
Summary
This project aims to study the cellular machinery that allows a cell to respond to its external environment. Specifically, this project focusses on the function of a family of membrane proteins, called caveolins, which are the major protein components of caveolae small pits which cover the surface of many mammalian cells. Caveolins are believed to regulate signalling from the external environment to the cell interior and loss of this regulation leads to uncontrolled growth leading to cancer. Sig ....This project aims to study the cellular machinery that allows a cell to respond to its external environment. Specifically, this project focusses on the function of a family of membrane proteins, called caveolins, which are the major protein components of caveolae small pits which cover the surface of many mammalian cells. Caveolins are believed to regulate signalling from the external environment to the cell interior and loss of this regulation leads to uncontrolled growth leading to cancer. Signalling from the cell surface relies on organisation of signalling components into modules. Our studies suggest that these modules are dependent on specific lipid molecules which form discrete patches, called lipid rafts, on the cell surface. We have hypothesised that caveolins control the lipid molecules associated with lipid rafts and so, indirectly, control signalling pathways. In particular, we have shown that caveolin is important in the regulation of cellular cholesterol, a vital molecule involved in maintaining the function of lipid raft domains. As numerous human diseases are associated with cholesterol imbalance, studies of caveolins can give fundamental new insights into this process, and the previously unidentified links between the cellular lipid balance and signal transduction. This project aims to use mutant caveolin molecules to disrupt caveolin function and so determine the role of caveolin in lipid regulation and in signal transduction. We will then use a lower vertebrate model system, which is amenable to experimental manipulation, to determine the role of caveolins and rafts in the development of the whole embryo.Read moreRead less