Lea Atanasova
Mag.rer.nat. Dr.rer.nat. Lea Atanasova
Institute of Microbial Genetics
Location Konrad Lorenz-Straße 24, 3430 Tulln an der Donau
Email lea.atanasova@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-94493
Molecular biology Genetics Genomics Microbiology Mycology Enzyme technology
Research Focus
My research explores the molecular genetics and ecological genomics of plant–fungal interactions, with a central focus on the mechanisms that enable mycoparasitic fungi to transition between mutualistic, saprotrophic, and antagonistic lifestyles. Using multiomic approaches—combining transcriptomics, proteomics, and comparative genomics—I investigate the signaling networks and adaptive strategies that govern fungal development, mycoparasitism, and plant colonization. I am particularly interested in how oxidative enzymes and other carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) contribute both to the saprotrophic decay of plant biomass and to biological functions in virulence, plant-growth promotion, and live plant colonization.
In my work with model organisms such as Trichoderma and Clonostachys, I integrate high-throughput phenotyping with functional genomics and evolutionary analyses to dissect the molecular basis of fungal lifestyle plasticity. This also includes barcoding and comparative genomic analyses of newly isolated fungi to uncover the diversity and evolutionary origins of mycoparasitic and plant-associated traits. By linking gene function, enzyme activity, and ecological performance, my research aims to reveal how fungi coordinate lifestyle transitions and adapt to dynamic environments.
Through this mechanistic and evolutionary framework, I seek to advance a holistic understanding of fungal ecology—from the molecular orchestration of antagonism and mutualism to the enzymatic strategies driving biomass degradation and host interaction. Ultimately, this knowledge may contribute to sustainable solutions for plant health and crop protection and the broader understanding of fungal evolution and functional diversity.
Career
- 2025 Senior researcher and Principal Investigator (PI), Department of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Microbial Genetics, Tulln, Austria (BOKU University)
- 2018 - 2025 Principal Investigator (PI), Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, BOKU University, Vienna, Austria
- 2018 - 2022 Maternity leaves from July 2018 - Nov 2019 and June 2021 - Nov 2022
- 2017 - 2018 PostDoc, TU Wien · Institute of Applied Physics, Vienna, Austria
- 2016 - 2018 PostDoc, University of Innsbruck · Institute of Microbiology, Innsbruck, Austria
- 2015 - 2015 PostDoc, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) · Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Uppsala, Sweden
- 2013 - 2016 PostDoc, TU Wien · Institute of Chemical Technology, Environmental Technology and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- 2013 PhD thesis (Dr. rer. nat.) - TU Wien · Institute of Chemical Technology, Environmental Technology and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- 2009 - 2009 Research Assistant, Graz University of Technology · Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, Graz, Austria
- 2008 Diploma thesis (Mag. rer. nat.), University of Vienna · Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Vienna, Austria
Awards
- Year: 2015 Awards: Carl Trygger scholarship for research at SLU (Uppsala, Sweden)
- Year: 2013 Awards: GSA fungal meeting award, Genetics Society of America (Asilomar, CA, United States)
- Year: 2011 Awards: FEMS Young Scientist Meeting Grant, Federation of European Microbiological Societies (Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain)
- Year: 2009 Awards: Price Award for best Master-/Diploma research, Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GFÖ) (Bayreuth, Germany)
- Year: 2008 Awards: Austria National Park Research Award, Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (Vienna, Austria)
- Year: 2006 Awards: Ad Futura Special Achievements Fellowship for studies abroad, Slovene human resources development and scholarship fund (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Projects
0 Projects found.
Publications
Knowledge Transfer to Society
Media
Presentations
22 lecures found.
Year: 2025 - Genomic Insights into the Opportunistic Genus Trichoderma
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Atanasova, L
Event: Summer School on Plant Pathogenomics for a Sustainable Future of Food
Period: 23.06.2025 - 27.06.2025 | Location: Bologna, Bologna, Italien | Organizer: UNIVERSITY OF BOLOGNA
Year: 2023 - Sensing and regulation of biotrophic processes in fungal mycoparasites
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Atanasova, L
Event: Lecture Seminar at the Institute of Microbial Genetics (IMiG), BOKU
Year: 2023 - Sensing and regulation of mycoparasitism-related processes in Trichoderma atroviride
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Lea Atanasova
Event: 16th European Conference on Fungal Genetics 2023
Period: 05.03.2023 - 08.03.2023 | Location: Innsbruck
Year: 2021 - Sensing and regulation of biotrophic interactions in fungal mycoparasites
Art: Vortrag - Keynote Speaker (eingeladener Vortrag)
Autoren: Atanasova L
Event: Lecture Seminar at Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, and CBC Semnar; SLU
Period: 15.04.2021 | Location: Uppsala, Sweden
Year: 2020 - Functional diversification of cellobiose dehydrogenases (CDHs) uncovers their involvement in multiple nutritional strategies of the mycoparasite Clonostachys rosea
Art: Poster - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Atanasova, L.; Csarman, F.; Dubey, M.; Karlsson, M.; Peterbauer, C.; Sützl, L.
Event: 15th European Conference on Fungal Genetics ECFG15 2020
Period: 17.02.2020 - 20.02.2020 | Location: Rome, Italy | Location: Rom, Italien
Year: 2020 - Trichoderma atroviride mycoparasitism and its regulation by the TOR signaling pathway
Art: Poster - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Segreto, R; Bazafkan, H; Millinger, J; Doppler, M; Blueschl, C; Schuhmacher, R; Atanasova, L; Zeilinger, S
Event: 15th European Conference on Fungal Genetics ECFG15 2020
Period: 17.02.2020 - 20.02.2020 | Location: Rome, Italy | Location: Rom, Italien
Year: 2018 - Interplay between GPI-anchored α-1,6-mannanase Dfg5 and MAPK signaling in cell wall remodeling of the mycoparasite Trichoderma atroviride
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Atanasova, L; Zeilinger, S
Event: 14th European Conference on Fungal Genetics ECFG14 2018
Period: 25.02.2018 - 28.02.2018 | Location: Haifa, Israel
Year: 2017 - A Gpr1-regulated Sur7 transmembrane protein Sfp2 is required for cell wall stability and stress response in the mycoparasite Trichoderma atroviride
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Atanasova L
Event: LMT Institute Seminar
Period: 27.03.2017 | Location: Vienna, Austria
Year: 2017 - A Gpr1 regulated protein from the Sur7-family is involved in cell wall stability and stress response in the mycoparasite Trichoderma atroviride
Art: Poster - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Atanasova L; Gruber S; Radebner T; Lichius A; Schütz G; Kreil D; Zeilinger S.
Event: 29th Fungal Genetic Conference 2017
Period: 14.03.2017 - 19.03.2017 | Location: Asilomar, CA, USA
Year: 2016 - A single mating event in Trichoderma reesei results in significant alterations of individual fitness of first generation progeny strains
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Atanasova, L
Event: 1st Trichoderma Workshop: Satelite meeting of European Conference on fungal Genetics
Period: 03.04.2016 | Location: Paris, France
Year: 2016 - Functional characterization of Clonostachys rosea pectate lyase PEL1 in Trichoderma reesei
Art: Poster - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Atanasova L, Dubey M, Grujic M, Gudmundsson M, Druzhinina I, Sandgren M, Kubicek CP, Funck Jensen D, Karlsson M.
Event: 13th European Conference on Fungal Genetics ECFG13 2016
Period: 03.04.2016 - 06.04.2016 | Location: Paris, France
Year: 2015 - Evolution and diversification of Trichoderma CAZome based on the genome of eight species
Art: Poster - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Atanasova L, Chenthamara-Kariyankode K, Grujic M, Aerts A, Kuo A, Grigoriev I, Kubicek CP, Druzhinina I
Event: EMBO Conference 2015 - Exploring the genomic complexity and diversity of eukaryotes
Period: 17.10.2015 - 22.10.2015 | Location: Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain
Year: 2014 - Sex modulates long distance dispersal and antagonistic potential of Trichoderma reesei
Art: Poster - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: L. Atanasova, M. Grandits, C.P. Kubicek, I. Druzhinina
Event: ECFG 12 - 12th European Conference on Fungal Genetics
Period: 23.03.2014 - 27.03.2014 | Location: Seville, Spain
Year: 2013 - Diversity and physiology of Trichoderma associated with Burholderia spp. in the nests of Borneo's exploding ants
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: L. Atanasova, D. Davidson, A. Kamariah, I. Druzhinina
Event: BAGECO 12; 12th Symposium on Bacterial Genetics and Ecology
Period: 09.06.2013 - 13.06.2013 | Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Year: 2013 - A unique genomic architecture of Trichoderma species from Section Longibrachiatum
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: L. Atanasova, K. Chenthamara-Kariyankode, A. Kopchinskiy, S.E. Baker, I. Grigoriev, K. Pomraning, M. Freitag, C.P. Kubicek, I. Druzhinina:
Event: EMBO Conference 2013 - Comparative Genomics of Eukaryotic Microorganisms: Complexity Patterns in Eukaryotic Genomes
Period: 19.10.2013 - 24.10.2013 | Location: Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain
Year: 2013 - The Trichoderma reesei polyketide synthase gene pks1 is necessary for yellow-green pigmentation of conidia an is involved in the establishment of environmental fitness
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: L. Atanasova, B. Knox, C.P. Kubicek, S.E. Baker, I. Druzhinina
Event: 27th Fungal Genetics Conference 2013
Period: 12.03.2013 - 17.03.2013 | Location: Pacific Grove, CA, USA | Location: Asilomar, CA, USA
Year: 2012 - Functional diversity of Trichoderma mycoparasitism
Art: Poster - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: L. Atanasova, S. Le Crom, S. Gruber, F. Coulpier, V. Seidl-Seiboth, I. Druzhinina, C.P. Kubicek
Event: 11th European Conference on Fungal ECFG 11 2012
Period: 30.03.2012 - 02.04.2012 | Location: Marburg, Germany
Year: 2011 - The transcriptional profile of Trichoderma mycoparasitism
Art: Poster - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: L. Atanasova, S. Le Crom, S. Gruber, F. Coulpier, V. Seidl, I. Druzhinina, C.P. Kubicek
Event: EMBO Meeting Comparative Genomics of Eukaryotic Microorganisms 2011
Period: 15.10.2011 - 20.10.2011 | Location: Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain
Year: 2010 - Trichoderma in Its Environment : Ecophysiological Aspects, Aerial Transfer and in Situ DNA Barcoding of Infrageneric Communities
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: L. Atanasova, I. Druzhinina
Event: 9th International Mycological Congress IMC9 2010 - The Biology of Fungi
Period: 01.08.2010 - 06.08.2010 | Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Year: 2010 - Metagenomic study of an air borne diversity of a mycoparasiticfungus Trichoderma(teleomorph Hypocrea)
Art: Poster - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: Atanasova L, Friedl MA, Bauer H, Puxbaum H, Kubicek CP, Druzhinina IS
Event: 3rd Joint Conference German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology and Association for General and Applied Microbiology
Period: 28.03.2010 - 31.03.2010 | Location: Hanover, Germany
Year: 2010 - Metagenomic study of air borne diversity of mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma (anamorph Hypocrea)
Art: Poster - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: L. Atanasova, M. Friedl, H. Bauer, H. Puxbaum, C.P. Kubicek, I. Druzhinina
Event: VAAM - Jahrestagung
Period: 28.03.2010 - 31.03.2010 | Location: Hanover, Germany
Year: 2010 - Diversity and physiology of Trichoderma associated with nests of Borneo's exploding ants
Art: Vortrag - Ausgewählte Präsentation
Autoren: L. Atanasova, D. Davidson, A. Kamariah, N. Anderson, I. Druzhinina:
Event: 9th International Mycological Congress IMC9 2010 - The Biology of Fungi
Period: 01.08.2010 - 06.08.2010 | Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK