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
Chromatin barriers in Plasmodium falciparum gene regulation. Malaria is a major world disease that kills around 2 million people annually. The genome of the causative agent has now been completely sequenced, but we still know very little of how and why some genes are activated while their neighbours are turned off. I will study the DNA barriers that separate such genes, and the proteins that interact with these regions to better understand how genetic regulation functions in these parasites. A b ....Chromatin barriers in Plasmodium falciparum gene regulation. Malaria is a major world disease that kills around 2 million people annually. The genome of the causative agent has now been completely sequenced, but we still know very little of how and why some genes are activated while their neighbours are turned off. I will study the DNA barriers that separate such genes, and the proteins that interact with these regions to better understand how genetic regulation functions in these parasites. A better understanding of gene regulation in malaria parasites will help us to better combat the tricks utilised by this and other organisms to elude our immune systems.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775503
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$255,000.00
Summary
Robotics for plant genomics: Increasing throughput in plant genetic analyses. Plant genomics has direct benefit to crop improvement, especially as focussed in the applicants' laboratories. Thus, the Australian agri-food sector will benefit substantially from the acceleration in plant functional genomics that will arise from the installation of the robotics equipment described in the current application, by both underpinning more applied research and also being used directly in crop improvement p ....Robotics for plant genomics: Increasing throughput in plant genetic analyses. Plant genomics has direct benefit to crop improvement, especially as focussed in the applicants' laboratories. Thus, the Australian agri-food sector will benefit substantially from the acceleration in plant functional genomics that will arise from the installation of the robotics equipment described in the current application, by both underpinning more applied research and also being used directly in crop improvement programs such as are based at the Waite Campus. The outputs will include crops with increased tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, a reduced dependence on chemical inputs such as fertilisers and improved food quality, with consequent benefits to the environment and human health and nutrition.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0667981
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$200,000.00
Summary
Kangaroo Genome Resource Management Facility. Increasingly, large Australian multicentre research programs in biological and medical sciences have a genomics component that involves integration of biological information with sequencing data. The success of these research programs depends on rapid internet access to the research information by all participating scientists. The universal design of the proposed information management system means that it can be easily adapted to support a broad ran ....Kangaroo Genome Resource Management Facility. Increasingly, large Australian multicentre research programs in biological and medical sciences have a genomics component that involves integration of biological information with sequencing data. The success of these research programs depends on rapid internet access to the research information by all participating scientists. The universal design of the proposed information management system means that it can be easily adapted to support a broad range of research programs. The development of this software program therefore has the potential to benefit research scientists, academics and students in many related fields, as well as the broader community, through enhancing research outcomes.Read moreRead less
Molecular genetic analyses of trinucleotide repeat expansions. Several neuronal diseases like Huntington's disease, Frederick's ataxia and fragile X syndrome are caused by expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). These diseases show progressive severity in subsequent generations. Here we use a simple plant model with a very similar DNA mutation to study the genetic basis of repeat expansions over several generations across populations. This proposal will im ....Molecular genetic analyses of trinucleotide repeat expansions. Several neuronal diseases like Huntington's disease, Frederick's ataxia and fragile X syndrome are caused by expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). These diseases show progressive severity in subsequent generations. Here we use a simple plant model with a very similar DNA mutation to study the genetic basis of repeat expansions over several generations across populations. This proposal will improve our mechanistic understanding of genetic diseases in populations. In addition, this proposal is expected to lead to identification of potential targets and technologies that would be of interest to Australian industry.Read moreRead less
Toward novel approaches for the control of parasitic nematodes via genomics/phenomics. The control of economically important parasitic worms of livestock relies heavily on the use of chemical compounds (anthelmintics). Their excessive and uncontrolled use has led to serious anthelmintic resistance problems in parasites, so that many treatments are no longer effective, and also to residue problems in meat, milk and the environment. We will use 'cutting edge' technologies to provide unique insight ....Toward novel approaches for the control of parasitic nematodes via genomics/phenomics. The control of economically important parasitic worms of livestock relies heavily on the use of chemical compounds (anthelmintics). Their excessive and uncontrolled use has led to serious anthelmintic resistance problems in parasites, so that many treatments are no longer effective, and also to residue problems in meat, milk and the environment. We will use 'cutting edge' technologies to provide unique insights into the molecular processes of parasite growth and reproduction, to develop safe and sustainable intervention strategies for parasites. The project will provide a unique technology platform and a skills base in parasite genomics and will generate significant intellectual property.Read moreRead less
Elucidating a key developmental switch in Haemonchus contortus using a massively parallel picolitre reactor sequencing-coupled genomic and bioinformatic platform. The national/community benefits of this project include enhanced focus on animal and human health biotechnology through the development of safe anti-parasite compounds/vaccines; improved and sustainable control of key parasites with decreased risk of induction of drug resistance; increased profitability of agricultural animal productio ....Elucidating a key developmental switch in Haemonchus contortus using a massively parallel picolitre reactor sequencing-coupled genomic and bioinformatic platform. The national/community benefits of this project include enhanced focus on animal and human health biotechnology through the development of safe anti-parasite compounds/vaccines; improved and sustainable control of key parasites with decreased risk of induction of drug resistance; increased profitability of agricultural animal production; consolidation of a technology platform for further applications in genomics and post-genomics of pathogens of global significance and construction of a pipeline for the validation of drug targets; capturing the benefits from fundamental research and strengthening links between fundamental and applied research; and increasing the quality and quantity of scientifically skilled people in biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Discovery of early developmental events in the transition to parasitism in the hookworm Ancylostoma caninum using genomic technologies. The national/community benefits are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic a ....Discovery of early developmental events in the transition to parasitism in the hookworm Ancylostoma caninum using genomic technologies. The national/community benefits are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to develop excellence in research by promoting collaborative research, resulting in a more efficient use of resources in a national and international context; (4) to enhance the skills-base in biology and biotechnology; (5) to substantially increase global visibility through quality research, leading to an increased investment in Australian science.Read moreRead less
Identification of the basic elements of Plasmodium transcription. This Discovery Project falls under the NRP for safeguarding Australia. Australian troops stationed in malaria endemic areas face the threat of infection and require medical attention upon return.Any research on malaria will expand our knowledge on prevention and treatment. Australia near malariaendemic locations such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.These countries do not have the means to support effective basic research into ....Identification of the basic elements of Plasmodium transcription. This Discovery Project falls under the NRP for safeguarding Australia. Australian troops stationed in malaria endemic areas face the threat of infection and require medical attention upon return.Any research on malaria will expand our knowledge on prevention and treatment. Australia near malariaendemic locations such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.These countries do not have the means to support effective basic research into the disease and wealthier countries such as Australia have the responsibility to fill this void.Furthermore, the aims of this Discovery Project are unique within the Australian malaria research community and the results fully complement other studies on transcription regulation of antigenic genes. Read moreRead less
Further Genetic and Molecular studies of an Important Prokaryotic Regulator Protein TyrR. Genomes encode many functions whose expression varies dramatically depending on particular cellular environments. Special proteins called Regulator Proteins act as sensors to detect subtle changes in the environment and, in response, to influence the expression of certain genes either dampening them down or stimulating their activity. We are working with the TyrR regulator protein of the simple bacterium E ....Further Genetic and Molecular studies of an Important Prokaryotic Regulator Protein TyrR. Genomes encode many functions whose expression varies dramatically depending on particular cellular environments. Special proteins called Regulator Proteins act as sensors to detect subtle changes in the environment and, in response, to influence the expression of certain genes either dampening them down or stimulating their activity. We are working with the TyrR regulator protein of the simple bacterium Escherichia coli to elucidate the molecular strategies used in these controls. Because this protein controls the expression of a number of genes with diverse functions, evolution has selected equally diverse mechanisms to achieve appropriate transcriptional responses. The detailed knowledge of the E.coli genome and of the various genes regulated by TyrR make it an excellent system for such fundamental studies.Read moreRead less