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Our research focuses on cell-cell communication, fusion, and differentiation, employing filamentous fungi as experimental models. We primarily study Neurospora crassa, a red bread mold, Botrytis cinerea, a plant pathogenic fungus, and Diplodia sapinea, an opportunistic tree pathogen.
Neurospora crassa, a well-established model organism, offers advantages like fast growth, simple crossing procedures, a fully sequenced genome, and various mutant strains. Utilizing classical and molecular genetics, biochemical analysis, and advanced microscopy techniques, we investigate cell-to-cell signaling and fusion, particularly in the context of colony establishment. Our studies provide insights into the molecular basis of intercellular communication and fusion, enhancing our understanding of these processes in filamentous fungi and eukaryotic organisms.
Botrytis cinerea is a plant pathogen with a very broad host range. We employ this fungus to study developmental decision making, including the molecular mechanisms controlling intra- and interspecies cell communication and pathogenic growth.
Diplodia sapinea, an opportunistic tree pathogen, is one of the most significant global pathogens of Pinus species and has been a subject of intensive study. However, many questions, including fundamental aspects of its infection biology, remain unanswered. Drawing from our extensive experience with Neurospora crassa, we are developing essential methods for studying D. sapinea on Pinus species
We are interested in cell-cell communication, cell fusion and differentiation. As experimental model systems we employ different filamentous fungi, mainly the red bread mold Neurospora crassa. Neurospora has been a scientific model organism for many years, offering many advantages features such as fast growth, simple crossing procedures, a fully sequenced and annotated genome, and many available mutant strains. Neurospora grows in form of long filaments or hyphae, which can reach a diameter of 10 - 20 um. This relatively large size makes Neurospora an ideal model to study cell biological questions. We are using a combination of classical and molecular genetics, biochemical analysis, light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and live-cell imaging in our studies.
Recently, we have begun to study the relationship of fungal morphogenesis and productivity in biotechnological applications. Here, we are using the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger as a model system. In addition, we seek to establish N. crassa as an expression system for the production of heterologous proteins for pharmaceutical applications.