Characterising inheritance patterns of whole genome DNA methylation. This project aims to characterise epigenetic diversity and inheritance patterns in whole genome sequencing data from a unique human population. The project will employ the well-characterised Norfolk Island genetic isolate, cost-effective whole genome bisulphite sequencing technologies and advanced bioinformatics pipelines and statistical models. It will involve cross-discipline collaboration between human geneticists, epigeneti ....Characterising inheritance patterns of whole genome DNA methylation. This project aims to characterise epigenetic diversity and inheritance patterns in whole genome sequencing data from a unique human population. The project will employ the well-characterised Norfolk Island genetic isolate, cost-effective whole genome bisulphite sequencing technologies and advanced bioinformatics pipelines and statistical models. It will involve cross-discipline collaboration between human geneticists, epigeneticists, statistical geneticists and bioinformaticians. This project will advance our understanding of the interaction of genetics and epigenetics and their relationship to diversity and inheritance in humans.Read moreRead less
Diet, gut microbiota and the evolution of lifespan and reproduction. Nutrition has pronounced effects on lifespan and reproduction across animal species, yet how these effects are mediated is poorly understood. This project aims to determine if the gut microbiota regulates these nutritional effects. This project expects to deliver key insights on the complex interplay between nutrition and the gut microbiota, as well as the potential to manipulate this relationship to extend lifespan and alter r ....Diet, gut microbiota and the evolution of lifespan and reproduction. Nutrition has pronounced effects on lifespan and reproduction across animal species, yet how these effects are mediated is poorly understood. This project aims to determine if the gut microbiota regulates these nutritional effects. This project expects to deliver key insights on the complex interplay between nutrition and the gut microbiota, as well as the potential to manipulate this relationship to extend lifespan and alter reproduction. The expected outcomes of this project include generating new knowledge, building multidisciplinary collaborations and the development of novel experimental approaches. This should provide significant benefits, fore-most in bolstering Australia’s high international standing in evolutionary research. Read moreRead less
Resolving the Genetics of Grain Pigmentation Traits in Rice . New critical knowledge will enable future breeding of quality black rice cultivars that can exploit the high UV Australian growing environment to enable domestic production of high-value, healthy black rice. The demand for functional foods with health benefits, including black rice, is increasing both domestically and internationally. The concentration of key functional compounds in black rice may be increased by growing optimised cul ....Resolving the Genetics of Grain Pigmentation Traits in Rice . New critical knowledge will enable future breeding of quality black rice cultivars that can exploit the high UV Australian growing environment to enable domestic production of high-value, healthy black rice. The demand for functional foods with health benefits, including black rice, is increasing both domestically and internationally. The concentration of key functional compounds in black rice may be increased by growing optimised cultivars under high-UV radiation, making Australia well placed to produce the highest quality black rice. Utilising a unique genetic resource this project will resolve how the interaction between crop genetics and the growing environment drives the concentration of functional compounds in black rice. Read moreRead less
Whole-genome multivariate reaction norm model for complex traits. This project aims to develop a multivariate whole-genome genotype-covariate correlation and interaction model that can be applied to a wide range of existing genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets. Genotype-covariate correlation and interaction (GCCI) are fundamental in biology but there is no standard approach to disentangle interaction from correlation in the whole-genome analyses. This project will address the key featur ....Whole-genome multivariate reaction norm model for complex traits. This project aims to develop a multivariate whole-genome genotype-covariate correlation and interaction model that can be applied to a wide range of existing genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets. Genotype-covariate correlation and interaction (GCCI) are fundamental in biology but there is no standard approach to disentangle interaction from correlation in the whole-genome analyses. This project will address the key feature in biology, which relates to dissecting the complex mechanism of association and interaction. The proposed statistical model implemented in a context of a novel design based on multiple GWAS data sets is a paradigm shifting-tool with applications to multiple industries.Read moreRead less
Understanding telomere privilege in pluripotent stem cells. We recently identified that fundamental mechanisms which protect chromosome ends (i.e. “telomeres”) are not conserved between somatic and embryo-derived stem cells. This discovery is without precedent and challenges the dogmatic expectation that cellular functions promoting genome stability are conserved in stem cells. We term the unexpected protective capacity of pluripotent chromosome ends “telomere privilege”. Here we will uncover th ....Understanding telomere privilege in pluripotent stem cells. We recently identified that fundamental mechanisms which protect chromosome ends (i.e. “telomeres”) are not conserved between somatic and embryo-derived stem cells. This discovery is without precedent and challenges the dogmatic expectation that cellular functions promoting genome stability are conserved in stem cells. We term the unexpected protective capacity of pluripotent chromosome ends “telomere privilege”. Here we will uncover the molecular, genomic, and proteomic regulators or telomere privilege; determine the breath of telomere privilege in stem cell lineages; elucidate the functional significance of telomere privilege; and exploit telomere privilege to study fundamental biology related to telomeres and the DNA damage response.Read moreRead less
Fine-scale resolution of genomes in natural microbial communities. This project aims to develop advanced molecular and statistical techniques to precisely resolve the genomes of microbes in the environment. Microbes inhabit every niche on the planet and are fundamental to human and animal health, agriculture, and the environment. The proposed technology will advance our understanding of environmental microbes, leading to advances in areas like climate science and biosecurity where microbes play ....Fine-scale resolution of genomes in natural microbial communities. This project aims to develop advanced molecular and statistical techniques to precisely resolve the genomes of microbes in the environment. Microbes inhabit every niche on the planet and are fundamental to human and animal health, agriculture, and the environment. The proposed technology will advance our understanding of environmental microbes, leading to advances in areas like climate science and biosecurity where microbes play a key role. It will also support the development of billion dollar industries focused on the use of beneficial microbes in agriculture, plant, animal, and human health.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101210
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,634.00
Summary
Deciphering molecular genetic mechanisms underlying chromatin interactions. This project aims to generate the high confidence map of enhancer-promoter links in 61 tissues and cells through robust integration of novel machine learning tools with genomic and epigenomic datasets. Understanding which key elements in the genome may be important to fine-tune gene expression is essential for understanding biological pathways. The expected outcomes include i) New tools to robustly identify true chromati ....Deciphering molecular genetic mechanisms underlying chromatin interactions. This project aims to generate the high confidence map of enhancer-promoter links in 61 tissues and cells through robust integration of novel machine learning tools with genomic and epigenomic datasets. Understanding which key elements in the genome may be important to fine-tune gene expression is essential for understanding biological pathways. The expected outcomes include i) New tools to robustly identify true chromatin pairs; ii) Comperehensive maps of regulatory interactomes in 61 tissues & cells, which will provide a roadmap for interpreting & prioritising noncoding variants.
This should provide significant benefit to Australia's capacity for cutting-edge genomics research through fundamental understanding of gene regulation mechanism.Read moreRead less
Will genetic rescue save the Tasmanian devil? This project aims to measure the long-term genetic impacts of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program’s ‘Wild Devil Recovery’ initiative. The project will determine whether supplementing small populations with individuals that are genetically diverse reduces inbreeding depression. The project will also monitor the impact of supplementation on the evolutionary trajectory of Devil Facial Tumour Disease. The project will train a cohort of conservation scie ....Will genetic rescue save the Tasmanian devil? This project aims to measure the long-term genetic impacts of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program’s ‘Wild Devil Recovery’ initiative. The project will determine whether supplementing small populations with individuals that are genetically diverse reduces inbreeding depression. The project will also monitor the impact of supplementation on the evolutionary trajectory of Devil Facial Tumour Disease. The project will train a cohort of conservation scientists to translate genetic data into management actions. The outputs will directly inform the management actions of the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries Parks, Water and the Environment and will help shape other species recovery programs.Read moreRead less