Sodium homeostasis and the molecular basis for neurotoxin production by bacteria and algae. An understanding of the physiology of saxitoxin-producing microorgansims in response to salt stress is critical for the prevention of toxic blooms and for risk assessment of contaminated water bodies. This is nowhere more relevant than in the depleted and increasingly saline water resources of inland Australia. This project will develop genetic tests to assay for saxitoxin-producers and to monitor toxin p ....Sodium homeostasis and the molecular basis for neurotoxin production by bacteria and algae. An understanding of the physiology of saxitoxin-producing microorgansims in response to salt stress is critical for the prevention of toxic blooms and for risk assessment of contaminated water bodies. This is nowhere more relevant than in the depleted and increasingly saline water resources of inland Australia. This project will develop genetic tests to assay for saxitoxin-producers and to monitor toxin production in response to the environment, representing an easier, more economic and ethical alternative to current tests. The market for this type of predictive test includes environmental, anti-bioterrorism and fishery organisations. These genes will also allow the bioengineering of novel therapeutic drugs based on neuroactive alkaloids.Read moreRead less
Recovery and characterization of monooxygenases for biocatalysis and bioremediation through development of novel DNA- and protein-based technology. Australia contains hundreds of sites contaminated with toxic waste and judged to pose significant risk of harm to the public. This project will identify enzymes and organisms capable of remediating such contaminated sites by natural processes. It will also result in training of persons and development of techniques that will contribute to making bi ....Recovery and characterization of monooxygenases for biocatalysis and bioremediation through development of novel DNA- and protein-based technology. Australia contains hundreds of sites contaminated with toxic waste and judged to pose significant risk of harm to the public. This project will identify enzymes and organisms capable of remediating such contaminated sites by natural processes. It will also result in training of persons and development of techniques that will contribute to making bioremediation an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective technology. The environmental proteomics strategy is a frontier technology, expected to have broad applications in health, food science and the environment. Our development of this technology will create a wide range of opportunities for Australian scientists and companies.Read moreRead less
Plasmid maintenance and interactions with the host cell and its genome. Plasmids are extrachromosomal genetic elements that play a central role in the evolution of bacteria. They are the most dynamic component of the bacterial genome, augmenting the host chromosome by conferring a range of significant phenotypes that facilitate environmental adaptation. This project aims to elucidate fundamental aspects of the relationship between plasmids and their bacterial hosts. Significant outcomes include ....Plasmid maintenance and interactions with the host cell and its genome. Plasmids are extrachromosomal genetic elements that play a central role in the evolution of bacteria. They are the most dynamic component of the bacterial genome, augmenting the host chromosome by conferring a range of significant phenotypes that facilitate environmental adaptation. This project aims to elucidate fundamental aspects of the relationship between plasmids and their bacterial hosts. Significant outcomes include understanding the molecular basis of efficient plasmid inheritance in bacterial populations, and exploration of the innovative hypothesis that plasmids modulate expression of the host chromosome, a possibility that would profoundly alter our view of how plasmids influence host phenotype.Read moreRead less
A genetic analysis of the role of an atypical hexokinase in gene regulation. This project addresses a question which is relevant to all living things-how do changes in the environment of a cell bring about a change in gene expression? The aim of this project is to investigate the role of hexokinases in gene regulation by studying the Aspergillus nidulans xprF gene, which encodes an an unusual hexokinase. Hexokinases are thought to be the glucose sensors in plants, animals and fungi, and play a ....A genetic analysis of the role of an atypical hexokinase in gene regulation. This project addresses a question which is relevant to all living things-how do changes in the environment of a cell bring about a change in gene expression? The aim of this project is to investigate the role of hexokinases in gene regulation by studying the Aspergillus nidulans xprF gene, which encodes an an unusual hexokinase. Hexokinases are thought to be the glucose sensors in plants, animals and fungi, and play a role in the development of diabetes in humans. In plants, sugars affect many processes including growth, flowering, photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, starch synthesis, pigmentation and response to pathogens.Read moreRead less
In vitro evolution of more thermostable dextranases for the Australian sugar industry. Dextrans are polysaccharides that adversely affect the productivity of sugarcane mills. The Australian sugar industry currently imports dextranases to deal with this problem but they are not heat stable so the mills have run at lower temperatures than optimal. We have isolated dextranases from thermophilic microorganisms and aim to improve their performance by generating superior heat-stable dextranases using ....In vitro evolution of more thermostable dextranases for the Australian sugar industry. Dextrans are polysaccharides that adversely affect the productivity of sugarcane mills. The Australian sugar industry currently imports dextranases to deal with this problem but they are not heat stable so the mills have run at lower temperatures than optimal. We have isolated dextranases from thermophilic microorganisms and aim to improve their performance by generating superior heat-stable dextranases using in vitro evolution, creating new activity levels by random mutation and recombination. The research will be significant in providing novel enzymes for domestic use, allowing import substitution and an outcome will be the development of a product with export potential.
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The development of a two-colour flow cytometric assay for the detection of whole cell biosensors in environmental samples. Macquarie University and the University of Copenhagen have expertise in fluorescence detection and whole cell biosensors respectively. The project will take advantage of these skills and develop a sensitive assay for monitoring biosensor bacteria in soil. The technology will be significant as it will enable real time analysis of antibiotic production in situ through the de ....The development of a two-colour flow cytometric assay for the detection of whole cell biosensors in environmental samples. Macquarie University and the University of Copenhagen have expertise in fluorescence detection and whole cell biosensors respectively. The project will take advantage of these skills and develop a sensitive assay for monitoring biosensor bacteria in soil. The technology will be significant as it will enable real time analysis of antibiotic production in situ through the detection of GFP expression. This work will then be used to isolate new antibiotic produces and will be extended to research into the bioavailability of toxic compounds and stress. An existing collaboration between the two institutions will be extended enabling the transfer and application of biosensor technology to Australia.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
Decoding regulatory RNA function in bacteria. All complex biological processes in bacterial cells appear to utilise regulatory small RNAs to control gene expression, but we lack a systems-level understanding of their functions and mechanisms of control. This proposal aims to address this fundamental knowledge gap using machine learning and cutting-edge, systems-level techniques to determine how small RNA sequence and structure determines function. Small RNAs have been found to control a broad ra ....Decoding regulatory RNA function in bacteria. All complex biological processes in bacterial cells appear to utilise regulatory small RNAs to control gene expression, but we lack a systems-level understanding of their functions and mechanisms of control. This proposal aims to address this fundamental knowledge gap using machine learning and cutting-edge, systems-level techniques to determine how small RNA sequence and structure determines function. Small RNAs have been found to control a broad range of traits including metabolism, biofilm formation, antibiotic tolerance, and virulence. The work proposed here will enhance our ability to predict and control bacterial gene expression with potential future impacts on bioproduction, synthetic biology, and veterinary and medical microbiology.Read moreRead less