PEB Investigators and Affiliates, including Prof. Ryan Lister, Prof. Justin Borevitz, Prof. Rachel Burton, Prof. Ian Small, Prof. James Whelan, Dr Monika Murcha, Prof. Matthew Gilliham, Dr Mark Waters and Dr Michael Considine lead eight successfully funded Discovery Projects. Prof. Ian Small will lead a successful Linkage Project and Prof. James Whelan will collaborate on a successfully funded Linkage and Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) project. PEB alumnus Dr Kai Xun Chan is a recipient of a 2021 Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA).
A Discovery Project (DP) led by Prof. Lister and Prof. Borevitz will aim to examine the roles and regulators of new plant cells linked to root transport. Prof. Lister will also receive DP funding to advance programmable genetic computation to control plant gene activity. A DP lead by Prof. Small will identify control elements in chloroplast gene expression. This project aims to provide the world’s best resources for the study of chloroplast genes. Prof. Burton has secured funding to examine novel cell wall genes ripe for the picking. This DP aims to investigate the role of recently discovered plant cellulose synthase-like CslM genes and define the polysaccharide product associated with them.
A DP led by Prof. Whelan and Dr Murcha will define the mechanisms of how mitochondrial growth and stress signalling interact and are regulated, while Prof. Gilliham will lead a DP to investigate a novel signalling pathway for crop improvement. The aim is to dissect a newly identified signalling pathway in plants that regulates plant water use and carbon gain.
PEB Affiliate Researcher Dr Waters, together with Dr Gavin Flematti and Dr Georg Fritz, will receive DP funding to use molecular tools to detect and identify new chemical signals, known as butenolides, that regulate the growth and development of bacteria and plants. Dr Considine together with Dr Joanne Wisdom have secured DP funding to examine how ascorbate and glutathione integrate the control of grapevine development.
Prof. Small will lead a Linkage Project to develop strong restorer-of-fertility genes for hybrid wheat breeding. Hybrid wheat varieties yield 10-15% more than conventional lines but a cost-effective system to produce hybrid seeds on a commercial scale is missing. This project aims to deliver such a system for use in hybrid wheat breeding programmes.
Under LIEF funding Prof. Whelan, together with collaborating researchers, will establish a platform consortium for integrated 'systems-omics' research. The proposal aims to establish a multi-institutional integrated ‘systems-omics’ platform that will address applications across the agri-biosciences, medicinal agriculture and fundamental biomedical sciences sectors.
Dr Chan (Australian National University), a previous PEB researcher, has been successful in securing DECRA funding to continue his independent research. He will be aiming to decrypt chloroplast signalling in C4 photosynthesis under heat stress. The project aims to fill a critical knowledge gap in how photosynthesis, chloroplast signals, metabolism and cell specialisation are coordinated for stress acclimation in plants.
Of the Discovery Projects, ARC Chief Executive Officer, Professor Sue Thomas, said they will expand the knowledge base and research capacity in Australia and support research that will provide economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia.
“[The Scheme supports] some of Australia’s best researchers to commence important work to expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability, providing important outcomes for all Australians.”
Details of successful projects below, and on the ARC’s Grant Outcomes page.
Discovery Projects
Professor Ryan Lister; Professor Justin Borevitz The roles and regulators of new plant cells linked to root transport. Plant genomics has moved to the single cell resolution, allowing precise investigations of previously hidden cell types and cell states that respond to environmental stress and that vary among differentially adapted plant populations. Here, we will extend our pioneering efforts that have mapped and discovered novel root cell types, to determine their salt and nutrient stress responses, and to elegantly dissect the underling causal genetic variation. The unique cell markers and regulatory networks will be validated with tissue specific and transgenic tools that can work across a host of plant species to reveal adaptive cellular responses to harsh environmental conditions.
Professor Ryan Lister Advancing programmable genetic computation to control plant gene activity. Plants can sense diverse internal and external conditions and integrate them to appropriately tune their response and maximize fitness. Plant biotechnology relies heavily on manipulating gene activity to change cell functions and confer advantageous agronomic traits. However, our ability to control plant gene activity remains rudimentary, limiting our biotechnology capabilities. This project aims to develop synthetic gene logic gates in plants, to enable the construction of programmable genetically-encoded computational functions that can sense and process customizable inputs to drive desired changes in plant function. This advance will underpin useful applications in plant biotechnology such as improved crop stress tolerance and yield.
Professor Rachel Burton Novel cell wall genes ripe for the picking.. This project aims to investigate the role of recently discovered plant cellulose synthase-like CslM genes and to define the polysaccharide product associated with them. Successful identification of the polysaccharide is highly likely to increase our fundamental understanding of how cell walls are made, how cells stick together or fall apart as well as facilitating the training of the next generation of cell wall biologists in challenging molecular and biochemical techniques. This new knowledge could increase our understanding of fruit ripening, and how it might be manipulated. This could have significant downstream commercial benefits if applied to breeding programs of economically important fruit such as grapes, tomatoes and strawberries.
Professor Ian Small Identifying control elements in chloroplast gene expression. Energy from sunlight is captured by photosynthesis in plants, providing the basis for the terrestrial food chain. This process takes place in chloroplasts, subcellular structures that derived from photosynthetic bacteria a billion years ago. Chloroplasts have their own DNA, containing genes encoding the most important photosynthetic proteins. This project aims to provide the world’s best resources for the study of chloroplast genes. In the process, we will discover how these important genes are regulated to provide photosynthetic proteins in the right amounts, in the right cells, at the right time. The knowledge and resources gained will facilitate improvement of photosynthetic function in future agricultural crops.
Professor James Whelan; Dr Monika Murcha Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Signalling in Plants . This proposal aims to define the mechanisms of how mitochondrial growth and stress signalling interact and are regulated. Mitochondria are central machines in cells that use energy obtained through photosynthesis to drive growth and also play an important role in sensing and responding to non-optimal environmental growth conditions. As mitochondrial growth and stress signalling are antagonistic, growth is retarded when stress signalling is activated. Thus, the outcomes will be new knowledge and understanding of how plants balance growth and stress responses. This benefit of this knowledge and understanding is that it can be used to pursue novel avenues to optimise crop performance in changing and adverse environments.
Professor Matthew Gilliham Investigating a novel signalling pathway for crop improvement. This project will dissect a newly identified signalling pathway in plants that regulates plant water use and carbon gain. It will deploy multiple techniques, including novel biosensors, to understand the links between the metabolism of plants and their environmental responses. The project will build partnerships with scientists at leading international institutions for enhanced outcomes, including access to specialised equipment and upskilling of our scientists. The generation of barley with the latest gene editing techniques aims to produce a non-GM crop with the potential for enhanced root C sequestration, lower water use and improved yield, three key goals for agricultural sustainability in the face of a drying Australian climate.
Dr Mark Waters; Dr Gavin Flematti; Dr Georg Fritz From energy stress to hormones: new signals in bacteria and plants. This project will use molecular tools to detect and identify new chemical signals, known as butenolides, that regulate the growth and development of bacteria and plants. This project will use innovative, interdisciplinary techniques to discover where these butenolide signals come from, and how both bacteria and plants detect them. Expected outcomes of this project include a greater understanding of how plants use butenolides to cope with stress such as drought or salinity, and the design of new technologies for manipulating the growth of both plants and bacteria. The long-term benefits of this work should include fresh approaches for enhancing plant performance under sub-optimal conditions.
Dr Michael Considine; Dr Joanne Wisdom Ascorbate and glutathione integrate the control of grapevine development. This project aims to make a step-change in understanding how the growth of woody perennial crops is regulated. The study of herbaceous annual plants has established that the antioxidants, ascorbate and glutathione, are important in regulating every step of plant development. However, this cannot readily translate to perennial life cycles. This project will develop novel genetic tools in grapevine that enable functional studies of these antioxidants in a perennial plant for the first time. It will investigate how ascorbate and glutathione regulate the development of grapevine, and how these functions integrate with hormone and energy metabolism. The outcomes will advance our ability to manage perennial crops in current and future climates.
Linkage Projects
Professor Ian Small Developing strong restorer-of-fertility genes for hybrid wheat breeding. Hybrid wheat varieties yield 10-15% more than conventional lines but a cost-effective system to produce hybrid seeds on a commercial scale is missing. This project aims to deliver such a system for use in hybrid wheat breeding programmes. The outcome will be ultimately higher wheat yield gains in Australia and worldwide. Higher and more stable yields will contribute to higher food security for the growing human population.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) Grants
Professor Tony Bacic; Professor Gavin Reid; Professor Richard Simpson; Professor Andrew Hill; Dr David Stroud; Associate Professor Oliver Sieber; Dr Diana Stojanovski; Professor Matthew Watt; Professor Peter Meikle; Professor Michael Stumpf; Dr Maria Kaparakis-Liaskos; Professor James Whelan A platform consortium for integrated 'systems-omics' research. The proposal aims to establish a multi-institutional integrated ‘systems-omics’ platform across two of Victoria’s leading research universities, and associated research institutes. The platform will consist of two cutting edge ultra-high resolution mass spectrometers (i) a Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Fusion LUMOS for rapid and comprehensive metabolomic profiling and detailed structural characterization, located at La Trobe University, and (ii) a Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Q Exactive HFX for high-throughput, deep and reproducible quantitative proteome analysis, located at the University of Melbourne.This platform will address applications across the agri-biosciences, medicinal agriculture and fundamental biomedical sciences sectors.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)
Dr Kai Xun Chan Decrypting chloroplast signalling in C4 photosynthesis under heat stress. This project aims to fill a critical knowledge gap in how photosynthesis, chloroplast signals, metabolism and cell specialisation are coordinated for stress acclimation in plants. It aims to dissect the complex interactions between a) cellular distress signals produced by chloroplasts with b) reactive radicals and c) plant metabolism during heat stress. It expects to provide the first insights into chloroplast signalling critical for heat-tolerant C4 photosynthesis which is active in two specialised leaf cell types in cereals such as maize and sorghum. Expected outcomes include an unprecedented cell-level resolution map of chloroplast signalling, which will benefit the engineering of improved photosynthesis into crops.