Fungal cell walls are complex, protective structures, dominated by sugar molecules (glucans) of varying length and composition. They are essential for fungal growth, shape, and survival, and are major targets for antifungal drugs. Yet, we still know little about how the molecular architecture of these walls changes during the cell cycle or across different fungal morphologies. By exploring the composition and molecular dynamics of the fungal cell wall, we can achieve a deeper understanding fundamental biology and find new routes to tackle challenges in health, agriculture, and biotechnology.
This project will explore how the components of the fungal cell are organised and remodelled in different biological contexts using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Two systems will be studied: the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a well-established laboratory model, and Aureobasidium pullulans, a fungus with striking morphological diversity that is thought to help it adapt to extreme and unfavourable conditions. We aim to use S. pombe to validate methods of probing cell cycle-related changes in the cell wall, then apply the developed methods to A. pullulans challenged with specific environmental and genetic manipulations to understand the basis of adaptation and survival.
This project will enable you to develop skills in interdisciplinary research. You will become a confident user of solid-state NMR, a powerful method that can enable detailed investigations of sugar species in fungal whole cell samples, at the Millburn House Magnetic Resonance lab, which also houses the National Research Facility for high-field NMR. You will develop skills in fungal culture and genetic manipulation. This project will be part of a recently-funded endeavour on investigating fungal adaptation using Aureobasidium pullulans and will involve working with US collaborators based in MIT, Duke, and Brandeis University.
Applicants will apply via the links on our application page: Application.