Predicting the movement speeds of animals. The project seeks to reveal how marsupials modify their movement patterns and speeds as they navigate risky environments, and show how movement contributes to vulnerability and resilience. Movement is central to animal behaviour and the survival of species, because it underlies feeding, mating and the ability to escape from predators. However, we lack a framework for predicting how fast animals should move through their habitats given their needs to con ....Predicting the movement speeds of animals. The project seeks to reveal how marsupials modify their movement patterns and speeds as they navigate risky environments, and show how movement contributes to vulnerability and resilience. Movement is central to animal behaviour and the survival of species, because it underlies feeding, mating and the ability to escape from predators. However, we lack a framework for predicting how fast animals should move through their habitats given their needs to conserve energy, avoid detection by predators and minimise risks of injury or death. This project aims to develop mathematical models to predict how fast animals should move and then test these predictions using native species of conservation concern. This is expected to extend the field of performance ecology as well as inform management strategies for vulnerable marsupials.Read moreRead less
Apoptotic signalling in virally infected and normal cells. Viral diseases contribute substantially to mortality and morbidity, in Australia and internationally. Emerging viral diseases, including H5N1 avian influenza, have the potential to severely impact on human health and the global economy. Concerns also exist that viruses may be used as bioweapons. This project seeks to define the mechanisms by which cell death occurs and is regulated in healthy cells, and how this is altered in virally inf ....Apoptotic signalling in virally infected and normal cells. Viral diseases contribute substantially to mortality and morbidity, in Australia and internationally. Emerging viral diseases, including H5N1 avian influenza, have the potential to severely impact on human health and the global economy. Concerns also exist that viruses may be used as bioweapons. This project seeks to define the mechanisms by which cell death occurs and is regulated in healthy cells, and how this is altered in virally infected or oncogenically transformed cells. Outcomes of this work may contribute to development of novel anti-cancer and anti-viral therapies, diagnostic reagents and vaccines.Read moreRead less
The nature and consequences of environmentally-generated phenotypic variation in natural populations. The ambient environment can generate both heritable and non-heritable variation in individual traits, but the role of such variation in evolution is poorly understood. This project will use a powerful model organism, the Australian neriid flies, to elucidate the evolutionary implications of environmentally-generated variation.
Understanding the critical processes that control cell death and using this knowledge to kill cells that have evaded death. Cell death is essential for protecting the body against cancer, and defects in cell death pathways contribute to cancer progression. To design new and better cancer therapies we must understand the critical processes which control cell death, and develop effective ways to either reset, or bypass, defects in cell death pathways that contribute to cancer. The program as outl ....Understanding the critical processes that control cell death and using this knowledge to kill cells that have evaded death. Cell death is essential for protecting the body against cancer, and defects in cell death pathways contribute to cancer progression. To design new and better cancer therapies we must understand the critical processes which control cell death, and develop effective ways to either reset, or bypass, defects in cell death pathways that contribute to cancer. The program as outlined will elucidate the process of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, a critical event in cell death by apoptosis, and determine how to kill cells in which this event is blocked.Read moreRead less
Role of Histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) in intestinal epithelial cell homeostasis and tumorigenesis. Colon cancer is the most common cancer that affects men and women in Australia. Annually, in Victoria alone, more than 3400 people are diagnosed with colon cancer. Colon cancer arises through the accumulation of mutations in key genes over time. Identification of cancer causing genes provides the basis for the design of new cancer therapies. We recently identified a gene called Histone deacetylase ....Role of Histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) in intestinal epithelial cell homeostasis and tumorigenesis. Colon cancer is the most common cancer that affects men and women in Australia. Annually, in Victoria alone, more than 3400 people are diagnosed with colon cancer. Colon cancer arises through the accumulation of mutations in key genes over time. Identification of cancer causing genes provides the basis for the design of new cancer therapies. We recently identified a gene called Histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) as potentially involved in promoting colon cancer. The current proposal will now extend and validate this finding in mice. Importantly, drugs which inhibit HDAC3 have recently been developed for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Defining the role HDAC3 plays in colon cancer will justify testing these drugs in colon cancer patients.Read moreRead less
Nuclear and chromatin architecture in the replication stress response. DNA replication is an essential biological activity required for the transmittance of genomic material across cell divisions. If errors occur during DNA replication, this results in dangerous outcomes including mutation, genome instability, and cell death. Cells cope with challenges to DNA replication through a process called the replication stress response. This fellowship explores a newly discovered pathway in the replicati ....Nuclear and chromatin architecture in the replication stress response. DNA replication is an essential biological activity required for the transmittance of genomic material across cell divisions. If errors occur during DNA replication, this results in dangerous outcomes including mutation, genome instability, and cell death. Cells cope with challenges to DNA replication through a process called the replication stress response. This fellowship explores a newly discovered pathway in the replication stress response where changes to the architecture of a cell nucleus, and movement of the genomic material inside, promotes repair of genomic damage that occurs during replication. The result of this project will be an understanding of fundamental biological processes that protect human genomes.Read moreRead less
Structural investigations into the regulation of programmed cell death. One in three men and one in four women in Australia will develop cancer by the age of 75 at current incidence rates. At its heart, cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell proliferation. One of the body's main defence mechanisms against excess cell proliferation is Programmed Cell Death, a process which becomes dysfunctional in cancer cells. This work will provide three dimensional images of the machinery that controls Progr ....Structural investigations into the regulation of programmed cell death. One in three men and one in four women in Australia will develop cancer by the age of 75 at current incidence rates. At its heart, cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell proliferation. One of the body's main defence mechanisms against excess cell proliferation is Programmed Cell Death, a process which becomes dysfunctional in cancer cells. This work will provide three dimensional images of the machinery that controls Programmed Cell Death. This information is critical for the development of drugs designed to re-initiate Programmed Cell Death in cancer cells.Read moreRead less
Discovery of new metabolic functions in Plasmodium parasites. This research will provide new understanding about the metabolism of parasites, such as those that cause malaria. These parasites have evolved bespoke metabolic networks to survive in diverse host environments including mosquitos and humans. Previous studies have revealed many unique genes and metabolites in these organisms, but their biochemical function is not known. This project will use state-of-the-art metabolomics and proteomics ....Discovery of new metabolic functions in Plasmodium parasites. This research will provide new understanding about the metabolism of parasites, such as those that cause malaria. These parasites have evolved bespoke metabolic networks to survive in diverse host environments including mosquitos and humans. Previous studies have revealed many unique genes and metabolites in these organisms, but their biochemical function is not known. This project will use state-of-the-art metabolomics and proteomics technology to accurately identify novel metabolites produced by the parasites, and discover the enzymes that are responsible for their synthesis. This work will not only advance our understanding of cellular metabolism, but will provide new opportunities for future biotechnology applications.Read moreRead less
Regulation of cell proliferation and survival by the ubiquitin system. This project aims to investigate how the fundamental processes of cell division and cell death are controlled at the molecular level by protein degradation enzymes (known as ubiquitin ligases), and how these regulate cellular homeostasis. Using interdisciplinary approaches incorporating proteomics, biochemistry, and molecular cell biology, this project seeks to delineate the components of signalling pathways implicated in the ....Regulation of cell proliferation and survival by the ubiquitin system. This project aims to investigate how the fundamental processes of cell division and cell death are controlled at the molecular level by protein degradation enzymes (known as ubiquitin ligases), and how these regulate cellular homeostasis. Using interdisciplinary approaches incorporating proteomics, biochemistry, and molecular cell biology, this project seeks to delineate the components of signalling pathways implicated in the degradation of proteins implicated in cell division and cell death. Expected outcomes include an increased understanding of how proteins are specifically selected for degradation. Protein degradation pathways operate with remarkable selectivity and this work is expected to illuminate the mechanisms of substrate targeting. The biochemical approaches will provide insight and impact in the areas of cell signaling, organelle biology and cell biology.Read moreRead less
Reading the isotopic archive: carbon and oxygen stable isotope ratios as recorders of plant physiological processes. This project will investigate how plant physiological processes are reflected in stable isotope ratios of carbon and oxygen in plant tissues. Results will contribute towards a mechanistic understanding of the processes that cause isotopic modifications, thereby enabling an improved interpretation of naturally occurring stable isotope signals.