Project start: 01.01.2021
Project end: 31.12.2023
Sponsor: German Research Foundation

We have started our work on predator yeasts funded by the EU Innovative Training Network Fungibrain. This resulted in one PhD thesis and two high profile papers (Scientific Reports and PLoS Pathogens) along with several other publications. Predator yeasts belong to the genus Saccharomycopsis. They are necrotrophic mycoparasites that invade and kill fungal prey cells via a penetration peg. We have started to develop molecular genetic tools to investigate the unique and fascinating biology of these yeasts. In this project we will characterize key virulence genes of Saccharomycopsis schoenii and analyze the contribution of these genes for predation and virulence. We will study the process of predation both from the viewpoint of the predator and the prey, for which we use the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae as prey.