Nitrate ignaling in fungi

Academic Abstract “Nitrate Signaling in Fungi” Ecologically, nitrate (NO3-) plays a central role in the global nitrogen cycle and it is the main nitrogenous nutrient for plants. Also archaea, bacteria and fungi utilize nitrate for growth but for fungi it is not known, how the genetic network is activated, that leads to the production of the necessary enzymes. Nitrate is not only an essential nutrient for saprophytic, but also for pathogenic fungi. Based on our previous work with NirA and on a collaboration with an experienced structural biology group we will try to crystallize NirA domains or the whole protein in absence and presence of the inducers, to better understand structure-function relationships. Finally, we plan to perform an unbiased forward genetic screen to identify the enzyme that reduces a crucial regulatory methionine sulfoxide (Metox169) during induction. The mechanism by which nitrate-specific transcription factors are activated is not known for any fungal species. Thus, the results of this project will certainly have impact on our understanding how this ecologically important pathway is regulated.