Analysis of the metabolic dynamics in fungal biomass utilisation
| The development of carbon neutral energy systems is one of the great societal challenges of our time. Due to their important role in the decomposition of biomass of various kinds, moulds are an irreplaceable part of the global carbon cycle, as well as of great economic importance as a source of industrial enzymes for the hydrolysis of plant polysaccharides for the production of next-generation bioenergy from renewable raw materials. Further necessary process optimisations depend on targeted biotechnological modifications of the fungi involved, which are, however, complicated by the fact that to date there are no reliable prediction models of how the fungal metabolism reacts to the planned changes. It is the stated aim of the project to enable these predictions by generating a metabolic model using the filamentous ascomycete Neurospora crassa. Specifically, we will quantitatively measure the changes in the (phospho-)proteome and metabolome of N. crassa during biomass degradation using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry methods. These data will allow us to develop a metabolic model that will greatly simplify rational modifications of fungi in many biotechnological applications. | |
| Duration | November 2015 - November 2017 |
| Editing | Thieme, Nils Benz, J. Philipp |
| Website | EMSL |
| Funding | Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Richland, WA, USA |
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| Bavarian Research Alliance - Cooperation Funding BayIntAn | |
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Publication
- Horta MAC, Thieme N, Gao Y, Burnum-Johnson KE, Nicora CD, Gritsenko MA, Lipton MS, Mohanraj K, José de Assis L, Lin L, Tian C, Braus GH, Borkovich KA, Schmoll M, Larrondo LF, Samal A, Goldman GH, Benz JP, 2019. Broad substrate-specific phosphorylation events are associated with the initial stage of plant cell wall recognition in Neurospora crassa. Frontiers in Microbiology, 10:2317. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.02317