A programme to study quarkonium-like states at ATLAS. Particle physics, the study of the fundamental building blocks of matter, has pioneered the use of large collaborations --- hundreds of scientists working in dozens of countries --- to solve difficult research problems. Australian groups have contributed to several such experiments, studying cosmic rays, neutrinos, and broken symmetries, as well as developing ATLAS, a vast experiment dedicated to understanding the origin of mass. This projec ....A programme to study quarkonium-like states at ATLAS. Particle physics, the study of the fundamental building blocks of matter, has pioneered the use of large collaborations --- hundreds of scientists working in dozens of countries --- to solve difficult research problems. Australian groups have contributed to several such experiments, studying cosmic rays, neutrinos, and broken symmetries, as well as developing ATLAS, a vast experiment dedicated to understanding the origin of mass. This project seeks to use ATLAS for a new purpose: searching for exotic mesons. Our existing commitment to ATLAS provides an opportunity to develop this as a new avenue of fundamental research in this country.Read moreRead less
Field Statistics of Space and Astrophysical Phenomena. Waves and radiation typically occur in bursts and persist, with their driving particle distributions, for unexpectedly long distances in space and astrophysical sources. These features cannot be accounted for with older plasma theory but are explained naturally with stochastic growth theory (SGT). Recent observations show SGT to be widely applicable in space and for pulsars. We propose to make SGT into a quantitative dynamic theory tested on ....Field Statistics of Space and Astrophysical Phenomena. Waves and radiation typically occur in bursts and persist, with their driving particle distributions, for unexpectedly long distances in space and astrophysical sources. These features cannot be accounted for with older plasma theory but are explained naturally with stochastic growth theory (SGT). Recent observations show SGT to be widely applicable in space and for pulsars. We propose to make SGT into a quantitative dynamic theory tested on known SGT systems, to discover and interpret field statistics of natural radio emissions, and to develop and test observationally theories based on SGT and associated wave/radiation processes for key space and astrophysical phenomena.Read moreRead less
Wave Localization and Burstiness in Type III Solar Radio Bursts. The project will raise Australia's scientific standing and expertise in space and plasma physics, space weather, and complex systems due to new discoveries, theories, publications, and invited talks. It supports Australia's involvement in NASA's $600M STEREO mission and other space efforts, and greatly leverages Australia's small numbers and budget on the world stage. The project will enhance Australia's human capital due to high-l ....Wave Localization and Burstiness in Type III Solar Radio Bursts. The project will raise Australia's scientific standing and expertise in space and plasma physics, space weather, and complex systems due to new discoveries, theories, publications, and invited talks. It supports Australia's involvement in NASA's $600M STEREO mission and other space efforts, and greatly leverages Australia's small numbers and budget on the world stage. The project will enhance Australia's human capital due to high-level training and increased expertise of new staff, students, and CIs. The new data and methods will develop, better exploit, and make more competitive Australia's scientific infrastructure. Last, the exciting discoveries expected will attract the international media and increase science's appeal to the public.Read moreRead less
Investigating the molecular function of alpha-Haemoglobin stabilising protein. The research described in this proposal will provide new insights into haemoglobin regulation and redox chemistry in erythrocytes. Deregulation of these processes gives rise to a number of debilitating diseases, including varieties of anaemia and thalassaemia-in Australia it is estimated that 3% of the population could be carriers of b-thalassaemia mutations. Given the contribution of free aHb to the pathology of b-th ....Investigating the molecular function of alpha-Haemoglobin stabilising protein. The research described in this proposal will provide new insights into haemoglobin regulation and redox chemistry in erythrocytes. Deregulation of these processes gives rise to a number of debilitating diseases, including varieties of anaemia and thalassaemia-in Australia it is estimated that 3% of the population could be carriers of b-thalassaemia mutations. Given the contribution of free aHb to the pathology of b-thalassaemia, understanding the specific aHb-binding factor, AHSP is a goal of national significance. In the long term, manipulation of AHSP function through gene therapy may have a direct role in the treatment of thalassaemia.Read moreRead less
The Fine Tuned Physiology of Microaerophilic Gastric Spirilla. The aim of the project is to understand the molecular basis of fundamental properties of the physiology of enterogastric spiral bacteria of the genera Campylobacter and Helicobacter. The characteristics of these obligate microaerophiles which will be investigated are their aerobic respiratory chains, the special metabolites and enzymes involved in thiol-disulphide redox balance, and their essential requirement for carbon dioxide. Mic ....The Fine Tuned Physiology of Microaerophilic Gastric Spirilla. The aim of the project is to understand the molecular basis of fundamental properties of the physiology of enterogastric spiral bacteria of the genera Campylobacter and Helicobacter. The characteristics of these obligate microaerophiles which will be investigated are their aerobic respiratory chains, the special metabolites and enzymes involved in thiol-disulphide redox balance, and their essential requirement for carbon dioxide. Microaerobes include some bacteria, archea and protozoa. Realisation of the widespread habitats and importance of microaerophiles, has led recently to a vigorous interest in understanding their physiology. Knowledge of the basic properties of microaerophily has potential applications to Environmental Microbiology, Agriculture, Industrial Microbiology, Veterinary Science and Medicine.Read moreRead less
Bacterial Proteomics: From Cell Division to Novel Antibiotic Targets. When a cell divides it is essential that each newborn cell gets a complete copy of the DNA. To ensure that this happens, cell division must be tightly controlled. It is not known how this occurs in bacteria. However, if we knew what molecules were involved in this control, we could target them to kill harmful bacteria. This project aims to identify such regulatory molecules as candidate targets for antimicrobial agents, with a ....Bacterial Proteomics: From Cell Division to Novel Antibiotic Targets. When a cell divides it is essential that each newborn cell gets a complete copy of the DNA. To ensure that this happens, cell division must be tightly controlled. It is not known how this occurs in bacteria. However, if we knew what molecules were involved in this control, we could target them to kill harmful bacteria. This project aims to identify such regulatory molecules as candidate targets for antimicrobial agents, with a view to developing powerful, novel antibiotics to protect us from the imminent threat of bioterrorism and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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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 analysis and functional inactivation of bacterial transcription complexes. RNA polymerase is an essential enzyme in all living cells. Its role is to convert the genetic information stored in genes into a message that can be converted into protein. As such, the bacterial RNA polymerase represents an ideal target for the development of new antibiotics which will be important in maintaining the health of the Australian community and also in protecting the community from the very real thr ....Structural analysis and functional inactivation of bacterial transcription complexes. RNA polymerase is an essential enzyme in all living cells. Its role is to convert the genetic information stored in genes into a message that can be converted into protein. As such, the bacterial RNA polymerase represents an ideal target for the development of new antibiotics which will be important in maintaining the health of the Australian community and also in protecting the community from the very real threat of bioterrorism organisms such as anthrax. This project is designed to identify molecules for development as new antibiotics that are effective against RNA polymerase.Read moreRead less
A Unique Target in the Purine Biosynthesis of the Pathogen Helicobacter pylori. The uptake systems of purine and analogues of the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori will be characterised because they can be utilised to introduce cytotoxic compounds into the cells. The first step in de novo purine biosynthesis of the bacterium is catalysed by two different enzymes, which are components of other biosynthetic pathways. These unique properties make them excellent potential therapeutic targets. Their ....A Unique Target in the Purine Biosynthesis of the Pathogen Helicobacter pylori. The uptake systems of purine and analogues of the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori will be characterised because they can be utilised to introduce cytotoxic compounds into the cells. The first step in de novo purine biosynthesis of the bacterium is catalysed by two different enzymes, which are components of other biosynthetic pathways. These unique properties make them excellent potential therapeutic targets. Their individual combined activities in purine biosynthesis will be characterised in situ and in vitro. Isogenic mutants with inactivated genes encoding for these enzymes will be constructed to investigate their role in the survival of the organism.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence - In Plant Energy Biology (CPEB). Plant cell metabolism underlies the synthesis of important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Research in CPEB will focus on control of this metabolism. Its expertise will enhance Australia's participation in major international research efforts directly relevant to sustainable agriculture in a country with fragile/ ....ARC Centre of Excellence - In Plant Energy Biology (CPEB). Plant cell metabolism underlies the synthesis of important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Research in CPEB will focus on control of this metabolism. Its expertise will enhance Australia's participation in major international research efforts directly relevant to sustainable agriculture in a country with fragile/degrading ecosystems. The research will provide new approaches for enhancing quality metabolite traits important for human health. It will further strengthen our international leadership in plant energy science, and will strengthen Australia's research training in systems biology to influence plant function.Read moreRead less