The Role Of Growth Factors In Pluripotency And Differentiation Of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Towards Human Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,829.00
Summary
Human stem cells, obtained and studied within strict ethical guidelines, have huge potential for increasing our understanding of early human development and for transplantation therapy. In order to realise this potential the factors that maintain these cells as stem cells (able to divide indefinitely and to become any cell type) and which turn them into particular cell types must be understood. This project aims to study these factors and to apply stem cells to muscle disease therapy.
G2 Phase Cdk2/cyclin A Co-ordinates Multiple Pathways In G2/M Progression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$302,036.00
Summary
Cell growth is a tightly regulated process that ensures the exact duplication of the entire genomic DNA followed by division of the cell into two identical daughter cells. If this strict ordering of events is in any way disrupted, the resultant daughter cells would have a different complement of DNA from their parent cell, essentially mutant cells. The cell has established a mechanism to ensure the correct ordering of these crucial events, known as the cell cycle, and mechanisms that can respond ....Cell growth is a tightly regulated process that ensures the exact duplication of the entire genomic DNA followed by division of the cell into two identical daughter cells. If this strict ordering of events is in any way disrupted, the resultant daughter cells would have a different complement of DNA from their parent cell, essentially mutant cells. The cell has established a mechanism to ensure the correct ordering of these crucial events, known as the cell cycle, and mechanisms that can respond to disruptions in this ordering and halt the normal cell cycle mechanism until the fault is rectified. These are the checkpoint controls. Checkpoint controls also respond to environmental stresses such as toxins that can damage the DNA to produce mutations. In diseases such as cancer, these checkpoint mechanisms are often faulty, allowing the cells to accumulate DNA mutations which can ultimately result in the cells becoming the aggresive, malignant tumours associated with the worst forms of this disease. Thus a detailed understanding of the cellular mechanisms involved in normal cell cycle and checkpoint control is important in not only defining the causes of these diseases at a molecular level, but may ultimately provide molecular targets for drugs that specifically destroy cancer cells by targeting the faulty checkpoint control. This proposal will investigate one component of the cell cycle mechanism, cdk2-cyclin A, which also has a major role in checkpoint control, to determine its exact role in both these important cellular growth controls.Read moreRead less
The Tumour Suppressor Lgl In The Regulation Of Cell Signaling, Proliferation And Apoptosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$534,871.00
Summary
Cancer is a disease that affects 1-3 people at some point in their lifetime. Therefore, understanding what causes cancer is of major importance to medical science. This proposal focuses on a group of tumour suppressors, Scrib-Dlg-Lgl, which act in a common pathway to regulate cell polarity (cell shape) and proliferation. We have shown that Lgl also regulates cell death. This proposal focuses on understanding the mechanism by which Lgl regulates the cell proliferation and death machinery.
Cell Cycle Regulation By The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$227,036.00
Summary
The rate of growth and death of normal cells is regulated through signals transmitted from the cell surface to the nucleus. In many human cancers the normal regulatory mechanisms are subverted, leading to uncontrolled growth of the cells. We aim to characterize the signals that are initiated by binding of the Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) to its receptor and to understand how these signals influence the ability of the cell to divide and to survive. We will identify the pathways that contribute t ....The rate of growth and death of normal cells is regulated through signals transmitted from the cell surface to the nucleus. In many human cancers the normal regulatory mechanisms are subverted, leading to uncontrolled growth of the cells. We aim to characterize the signals that are initiated by binding of the Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) to its receptor and to understand how these signals influence the ability of the cell to divide and to survive. We will identify the pathways that contribute to uncontrolled growth in tumor cells. This knowledge is necessary for the design of new therapies targetted to the molecular lesions which stimulate solid tumors.Read moreRead less