Fungal hyphal morphogenesis

我的研究计划的目标是更好地了解控制真菌细胞形状生成的因素。真菌对人类和一般生态的影响既包括主要的有益影响，也包括有害的影响，从循环利用和生物技术到发病机制。为了更好地利用或控制真菌的活动，我们需要更好地了解它们的生长、代谢、繁殖和环境反应。此外，尽管与动物相比，真菌的细胞类型很少，细胞结构简单，但真菌和动物的生理学基本上是相似的。这有助于从使用真菌的实验研究中转移与医学相关的知识。例如，我的研究使用了互补的方法：1)面包霉菌Nidulans中细胞形状突变的表征，2)高分辨率结构和生化研究，以开发更好的工具来了解细胞形状、功能和组成之间的关系。此外，我的研究小组在理解两个关键基因方面取得了重大进展，A.nidulans HYPA和hiB控制细胞生长和形状控制的相关但不同的途径。这些基因特别重要，因为它们都被证明协调细胞生长和核分裂。在与真菌有生理联系的动物中，失去对细胞形状或细胞增殖的控制会导致癌症。人类基因组中有与HYPA和hiB相关的基因。基础实验可以在真菌中轻松快速地完成，这样结果就可以用于医学研究。在即将到来的资助周期中，我们将澄清这些基因的关系和功能，并探索它们如何导致形成根结线虫菌落的两种不同细胞类型的死亡和生长。我们将应用我们最新开发的生物分析工具(原子力显微镜和同步辐射红外光谱)来表征真菌生命周期的关键阶段，并探索真菌在不同环境中生长的生化后果。

The goal of my research program is to better understand factors that control fungal cell shape generation. Fungal impacts on humans and on general ecology include both major beneficial and detrimental effects, ranging from recycling and biotechnology to pathogenesis. In order to better use or control fungal activities, we need improved understanding of their growth, metabolism, reproduction, and environmental responses. In addition, although fungi have few cell types and simple cell structures compared to animals, fungal and animal physiology are fundamentally similar. This facilitates medically relevant knowledge transfer from experimental studies using fungi.     My research uses complementary approaches 1) characterization of cell shape mutants in the bread mold fungus, Aspergillus nidulans, and 2) high resolution structural and biochemical studies to develop better tools for understanding ther relationship between cell form, function, and composition.     My research group has made major strides in understanding two key genes, A. nidulans hypA and hypB that control related but distinct pathways in cell growth and shape controls. These genes are particularly important because both have been shown to coordinate cell growth and nuclear division. In animals, which are physiologically related to fungi, loss of control of cell shape or cell proliferation leads to cancer. The human genome has genes related to hypA and hypB. Basic experiments can be done easily and quickly in fungi, so that the results can be used in medical research.     In the coming funding cycle we will clarify relationships and functions of these genes, and explore how they cause death versus growth in the two distinct cell types that form A. nidulans colonies. We will apply our newly-developed bioanalytical tools (atomic force microscopy, and synchrotron infrared spectroscopy) to characterizatio of critical stages in the fungal life cycle, and to exploration of the biochemical consequences of fungal growth in diverse environments.