From the pouch to the grave: age and sex related changes in immunity in the Tasmanian devil. Tasmanian devils face extinction in the wild due to the emergence of a contagious cancer: Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). A comprehensive understanding of the devil immune system is necessary to better understand the disease and develop a vaccine against it. This project will characterise immune responses of healthy devils throughout life, from the pouch, to onset of puberty, to old age. This project ....From the pouch to the grave: age and sex related changes in immunity in the Tasmanian devil. Tasmanian devils face extinction in the wild due to the emergence of a contagious cancer: Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). A comprehensive understanding of the devil immune system is necessary to better understand the disease and develop a vaccine against it. This project will characterise immune responses of healthy devils throughout life, from the pouch, to onset of puberty, to old age. This project will then compare these responses in DFTD-affected devils to determine why DFTD affects older animals first and does not affect sexually-immature devils. Additional outcomes will include the development of novel antibiotics against human and animal diseases and an atlas of devil development using the latest imaging technologies.Read moreRead less
Evolution and function of mammalian sex chromosomes. Research on iconic Australian mammals has profoundly reshaped our understanding of reproductive biology and sex chromosome evolution. In this project we combine unique expertise, international collaboration and novel genetic information about Australia's unique egg-laying mammals (echidna and platypus) to investigate major aspects of reproduction. This work will address fundamental aspects of sex chromosome biology and advance our understandin ....Evolution and function of mammalian sex chromosomes. Research on iconic Australian mammals has profoundly reshaped our understanding of reproductive biology and sex chromosome evolution. In this project we combine unique expertise, international collaboration and novel genetic information about Australia's unique egg-laying mammals (echidna and platypus) to investigate major aspects of reproduction. This work will address fundamental aspects of sex chromosome biology and advance our understanding of mammalian reproduction. The knowledge gained will have application in captive breeding and conservation of these extraordinary Australian mammals. The project also provides opportunity to train research students in cutting edge molecular biology and informatics.Read moreRead less
Genetic regulation of developmental competence: molecular mechanisms that establish a competent state. Development is a key biological process for multicellular life. This project will study development using a simple, established experimental organism, a fungus, as a model for development in other organisms, including humans. Moreover, fungi directly impact on life at many levels and understanding their biology has direct benefits for society.
Intron splicing regulates gene silencing in Arabidopsis. Defective gene regulation (i.e. how genes switch on and off) can cause severe genetic disease in both plants and animals, including humans. This project will use plants as a model to investigate a cause of defective gene expression, and should reveal possible avenues for therapeutic intervention to correct genetic defects in plants and animals.
Statistical methods for detection of non-coding RNAs in eukaryote genomes. Understanding how eukaryotic cells work is a major goal of 21st century biology. A crucial step will be to catalogue the functional components of eukaryotic genomes. Australian researchers must be involved in this process at an early stage, in order to maximise commercial opportunities, attract quality researchers and position ourselves for further advances. This project will make major contributions to international effo ....Statistical methods for detection of non-coding RNAs in eukaryote genomes. Understanding how eukaryotic cells work is a major goal of 21st century biology. A crucial step will be to catalogue the functional components of eukaryotic genomes. Australian researchers must be involved in this process at an early stage, in order to maximise commercial opportunities, attract quality researchers and position ourselves for further advances. This project will make major contributions to international efforts in this area, via the development of statistical methods for segmenting genomes, classification of those segments, and study of the resulting classes. In the long term, enhanced understanding of eukaryotic cells will lead to breakthroughs in biology, and to medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural and scientific advances.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre for Kangaroo Genome. In this Australian-led Kangaroo Genome Project, we will map and characterize the tammar wallaby genome at the molecular level. Marsupial genomes are uniquely valuable because they provide comparisons that reveal new human genes, regulatory sequences and marsupial-specific genes. These will deliver new products and information useful for medicine, industry, agriculture and conservation. We will construct integrated genetic and physical maps of the genome, clone the ....ARC Centre for Kangaroo Genome. In this Australian-led Kangaroo Genome Project, we will map and characterize the tammar wallaby genome at the molecular level. Marsupial genomes are uniquely valuable because they provide comparisons that reveal new human genes, regulatory sequences and marsupial-specific genes. These will deliver new products and information useful for medicine, industry, agriculture and conservation. We will construct integrated genetic and physical maps of the genome, clone the whole genome as large inserts in BAC vectors, and build a "golden path" with minimal overlap. We will construct libraries of expressed genes from tammar tissues and array them for use in analysing gene expression.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of tumour variants of Devil Facial Tumour Disease. This project will take a new approach to cancer research by studying the evolution of Devil Facial Tumour Disease. The results will directly contribute to the conservation management of the Tasmanian devil, as well as generating new information on tumour growth, metastasis and emergence of resistance.
Uncovering vertebrate lifespan biodiversity with whole genome sequencing. This project aims to integrate existing data on the genetic mechanisms of lifespan evolution in model systems with a novel combination of whole genome sequencing and comparative phylogenomics to reveal the common genomic signatures of lifespan evolution in vertebrates. Expected outcomes include a perspective on the evolution of lifespan, a topic of major health interest for Australia and the rest of the developed world. Th ....Uncovering vertebrate lifespan biodiversity with whole genome sequencing. This project aims to integrate existing data on the genetic mechanisms of lifespan evolution in model systems with a novel combination of whole genome sequencing and comparative phylogenomics to reveal the common genomic signatures of lifespan evolution in vertebrates. Expected outcomes include a perspective on the evolution of lifespan, a topic of major health interest for Australia and the rest of the developed world. This will provide significant benefits, such as long-term implications for aging research, with possible business applications. It will also increase Australia’s visibility and competitiveness in the developing field of bioinformatics.Read moreRead less
Identifying genes causing thermal evolution of ectotherm body size. Cold-blooded animals increase in body size as they are found in populations at greater distances from the equator. These patterns are due to populations adapting to temperature. The aim of this project is to identify the genes involved in this adaptation process. We will do this by taking advantage of a well-studied body size cline in the vinegar fly on the east coast of Australia, and by building on an international collaborati ....Identifying genes causing thermal evolution of ectotherm body size. Cold-blooded animals increase in body size as they are found in populations at greater distances from the equator. These patterns are due to populations adapting to temperature. The aim of this project is to identify the genes involved in this adaptation process. We will do this by taking advantage of a well-studied body size cline in the vinegar fly on the east coast of Australia, and by building on an international collaboration between a leading UK and two Australian research groups. In doing so we will provide an explanation at the molecular level for one of the great unresolved phenomena in biology: why do cold-blooded animals get bigger in the cold? The research also leads to the potential to manipulate body size in animals.Read moreRead less
Insect development : the role of cytochrome P450s. Pest insects vector human diseases such as malaria and impose a massive burden in agriculture due to control costs and production losses. The intelligent control of insect pests requires an understanding of their development that is controlled by hormones. This project will provide an in depth understanding of insect hormone synthesis/degradation that is controlled by a class of enzymes, the cytochrome P450s. This will increase the potential ....Insect development : the role of cytochrome P450s. Pest insects vector human diseases such as malaria and impose a massive burden in agriculture due to control costs and production losses. The intelligent control of insect pests requires an understanding of their development that is controlled by hormones. This project will provide an in depth understanding of insect hormone synthesis/degradation that is controlled by a class of enzymes, the cytochrome P450s. This will increase the potential for new insect-specific control strategies with a decreased environmental impact.Read moreRead less