What's On at UWA

Dr Sharwood’s research focuses on the molecular engineering of higher plant chloroplasts to improve many facets of plant productivity. Chloroplasts harbour the key biochemical reactions of photosynthesis, a process that underpins all life on earth.

X-ray crystallography is a method of determining the arrangement of atoms within a crystal. This talk will briefly outline the technique used in the determination of crystal structures with special reference to small molecules. The instrumentation which is available to researchers at UWA for diffraction experiments will also be described. A number of results from such experiments will be presented including examples of crystal structures from the various research areas within UWA.

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are powerful organocatalysts for a range of chemical transformations. Our studies have been underpinned by new approaches to acyl azolium intermediates and have allowed a number of novel catalytic reactions to be developed. In this presentation studies on the use of NHCs to catalyse sigmatropic rearrangements, (4 + 2) annulations, and cascade Brønsted/Lewis base mediated reactions, will be presented. The application of these reactions to the total synthesis of 7 deoxyloganin will be presented.

The primary transcripts must then undergo extensive processing, including the maturation of 5’ and 3’ termini, RNA-editing and the splicing of many group-II-type introns (the precise number varying by species), which lie mainly within complex I subunits but also disrupt the coding-regions of several genes encoding ribosomal proteins. The splicing of these introns is therefore essential for the expression of the coding sequences they interrupt, and thus for respiratory activity. Yet, despite the importance of proteins that influence mitochondrial gene-expression, functions have been established for only a handful of such proteins in plants. In non-plant systems, the splicing of group-II introns is facilitated by proteins encoded within the introns themselves (Maturases, Mat’s). Yet, the plant mitochondrial introns are degenerated and also lost their intron-encoded ORF. It is thus anticipated that their splicing in the organelles requires the participation of nuclear gene products. In addition, the roles of nuclear-encoded factors in mitochondrial RNA-metabolism may provide means to link organellar gene expression and function to other cellular responses to energy state, environmental stimuli, and/or developmental cues. However, the precise functions still remain largely unknown for many of these proteins in plant mitochondria. By using biochemical and genetic approaches we established the roles of different proteins in the splicing of many of the mitochondrial introns in plants. These are diverse in origin and presumably in mechanism. Defects in interactions between this class of proteins and their RNA partners have been linked to growth and developmental defects, which include reduced germination, retarded growth phenotypes and cytoplasmic male sterility.

LIWA invites you to a free seminar on: "eResearch and the opportunities of applying digital technology in healthcare research" by Professor Jennifer Harrison from iVEC@UWA. Time: 12 noon for light lunch with 12.30pm – 1.30pm presentation

Analyses of shipwreck artefacts are essential in order to gain information about the chemical nature of materials, provenance, state of deterioration and even technological information about formation processes. For more than 20 years, conservation scientists from the WA Museum and UWA staff have collaborated to resolve many such issues, particularly those associated with organic archaeological materials. Solution NMR spectroscopy, for example, has been used to identify pitches, resins and tars, to gain information about the precursors to these materials and to reveal information about the heating regimes that they were subjected to in their preparation while solid state NMR spectroscopy has been used to determine the deterioration of waterlogged wood and ivory and to identify chemical processes that have occurred after their conservation treatment. Dr Godfrey’s illustrated presentation will highlight archaeological, conservation and analytical aspects of work undertaken on a variety of objects from local and international shipwrecks

Protein molecular motors are natural nano-machines that convert the chemical energy obtained from the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) into mechanical work which is central to cellular motion, muscle contraction, cell division and a multitude of other critical biological processes. Remarkably, protein molecular motors differ fundamentally from artificial devices in that the conversion from chemical energy to mechanical energy is done directly, rather than via an intermediary state as in e.g., heat for thermal engines. This fundamental difference results in a far better efficiency (close to 100%, for both linear and rotary motors) of these natural mechanical devices compared to artificial ones. This exceptional efficiency, together with the small scale of protein molecular motors, has prompted an increasing number of studies focused on their integration in hybrid micro- and nanodevices. However, and despite tremendous progress in the engineering of molecular motors, much needs to be learnt from Nature, in particular regarding the cooperative behaviour of molecular motors in vivo, before coming even close to efficiency in in vitro devices.

Filamentous fungi are very successful in colonizing micro-confined maze-like networks (e.g., soil, wood, leaf litter, plant and animal tissues), suggesting that they may be efficient solving agents of geometrical problems. The growth behaviour and optimality of space-searching algorithms of several fungal species has been tested in microfluidic mazes and networks. First, it was found that the growth behaviour of all species was strongly modulated by the geometry of micro-confinement. Second, the fungi used a complex growth and space-searching strategy comprising two algorithmic subsets: (i) long-range directional memory of individual hyphae and (ii) inducement of branching by physical obstruction. Third, stochastic simulations using experimentally measured parameters showed that this strategy maximizes both survival and biomass homogeneity in micro-confined networks, producing optimal results only when both algorithms are synergistically

Organic dyes with a charge-resonant electronic structure (for example, Michler’s Hydrol Blue, below) are venerable molecules, having played a critical role in the development of the synthetic chemical industry. More recently, they have attracted attention because the environmental sensitivity of their optical response makes the useful as molecular sensors and markers. The fluorescence quantum yield of dyes can be modulated over six orders of magnitude in different environments. Large variations in the nonlinear optical response are also observed. In my talk, I will discuss the chemical and physical concepts underlying the notion of charge-resonance, and describe its mathematical formulation. I will show explicitly that relatively simple 2- and 3- state models based on these concepts can be used to understand and even predict the results of quite complicated and high-level computational quantum chemistry calculations. I will show that models based on the concept of resonating charge forms, which were originally designed to model the color of dye molecules, can also be applied to understand apparently unrelated properties e.g. their nonlinear optical response and also their nonradiative decay behavior. These properties are important to understanding the use of these dyes in several very recent applications, which I will also discuss.

Urukthaplestatin A (Ustat A) is a novel natural product, consisting of oxazoles and thiazoles inbedded in a macrocycle. It has extraordinary cytotoxicity against cancer cells in the desirable low nanomolar range (average GI50 = 5.6nM). It does not share structural homology with other classes of marketed cancer therapeutics, and it has a different activity profile to compounds with structural similarities indicating a possible novel and unique mechanism of action. We use novel, modular oxazole methodology that generates numerous Ustat A analogs, and specifically we have designed compounds that will explore its structure-activity relationship and mechanism of action. Given the cytotoxicity and the novelty of these molecules, they are ideal starting points for developing new cancer therapies.

Molinski and co-workers discovered Sanguinamide B (San B) from a single species of nudibranch. The San B natural product contains two thiazoles and one oxazole, and is a modified octapeptide macrocycle; unlike other natural products isolated from this sponge, San B contains two proline residues, where these two residues are control the conformation of the macrocycle. The potent cytotoxic and antibiotic properties of other macrolides isolated from this nudibranch species, and the small microgram quantities of the compound that are available from the natural source, make this natural product a very attractive compound to synthesize. We have synthesized and tested San B and numerous analogues against gram +ve, gram –ve bacteria as well as against mammalian cancer cell lines. Not surprisingly, the conformation of these compounds dictates their biological activity.

Have you ever wanted to know what it's like to be a Chemistry student at UWA?

"A Day in the Life of a Chemistry Student" gives year 11 and 12 students the opportunity to participate in a wide range of hands-on activities that will be interactive, fun and very rewarding.

Places are strictly limited. Applications close 22 June 2012.

Note: times shown are a guide only and are subject to change. Refer to the respective event brochure/application form for detailed information.

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Event to be confirmed - contact us for further details.

‘A day in the life of a UWA Chemistry Student’ gives year 10 and 11 students the opportunity to explore the different areas of chemistry currently available at UWA and to participate in a range of fun activities which will help to explain the wonderful world of chemistry!

Students will have the opportunity to speak with UWA staff and current students to find out more about life as a UWA student, what the campus has to offer, UWA's new course structure, study pathways and career options.

"Our research focuses upon how the virulent bacterial phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae establishes disease in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. P. syringae delivers a suite of ~ 30 effector proteins into the plant cell." Detailed abstract available [email protected]

The course is designed for people with knowledge of basic statistics who want to learn more about regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA).

The course is hosted by the Centre for Applied Statistics and we offer discounted rate fees to UWA Graduate Research Students.

Fee information is available on our website cas.maths.uwa.edu.au. Please register online.

The 3MT competition challenges research students to give a dynamic and engaging presentation about their research and its significance in a way that can be understood by everybody. The audience will select the "People's Choice" winner.

The course is designed for people with knowledge of basic statistics who want to learn more about how to analyse binary or survival data.

The course is hosted by the Centre for Applied Statistics and we offer discounted rate fees to UWA Graduate Research Students.

Fee information is available on our website http://www.cas.maths.uwa.edu.au/courses. Please register online.

UWA opens up the whole campus to the public.

Come and find out about the courses on offer, career options, scholarship opportunities, our valuable research, community programs and facilities.

There's also residential college tours, hands-on activities, live music and entertainment, and plenty of fun activities for the whole family.

Currently at University of Queensland, Dr Mylne will speak about his past, current and future plans for his Fellowship at UWA. Welcome Dr Mylne! "At UWA I intend to focus on three areas; 1) study the various genetic ‘innovations’ that create these ultra-stable peptides, 2) hone in on the in vivo biochemical process that produce such biomedically relevant peptides; and 3) develop a new biological system to discover the elusive biochemical targets of important anti-malarials drugs." DETAILED CV AVAILABLE !!! email [email protected]

LIWA invites you to a free seminar on: "Genome-wide Association Studies Success in Ophthalmology" by W/Prof David Mackey, Managing Director, Lions Eye Institute. Time: 12 noon for light lunch with 12.30pm – 1.30pm presentation.

As part of a tradition at the University Physics Screening, fortnightly screenings of various Science Fiction Movies, documentaries and famous recorded lectures will continue screening weekly all through this semester.

This week's screening features 'Journey to the Edge of the Universe" by Alec Baldwin and Part 1 of "ATOM" by Jim Al-Khalili

$2 for UPS members $5 for non-members Free entry for Physics staff

Free can of soft drink provided with paid entry!

How does a Venus flytrap know when to snap shut? How do flowers know when to show their pretty colours? Can plants actually hear the chatter of the neighbourhood? This seminar is a window open onto the realm of plants, one hour detour into the history of how we perceive them, what we know about them but most importantly, how plants themselves perceive and sense their world. Dr Gagliano completed a PhD in marine ecology at James Cook University in 2007 and was then awarded a postdoctoral research fellowship at Australian Institute of Marine Science, where she studied the physiological effects of climate change on coral reef fishes. In November 2009, she joined the Centre for Evolutionary Biology (CEB) at The University of Western Australia, where she is currently a postdoctoral research fellow. While continuing her work on marine life. She has since stretched the boundary of her scientific thought and ecological research into new directions, including the behavioural ecology of plants.