Aspergillus fumigatus is the most important air-borne fungal pathogen causing a life-threatening disease called invasive aspergillosis. The interaction of the fungus with the innate immune system is decisive for the development of disease. A. fumigatus possesses virulence determinants allowing this human-pathogenic fungus to overcome and evade the immune system. These determinants also include different secondary metabolites. In general, each Aspergillus species has the genetic potential to produce up to 50 different secondary metabolites. By genetic engineering, it is possible to activate gene clusters involved in the biosynthesis of these compounds, which remain silent under laboratory conditions and to isolate novel compounds. This concept represents a new avenue to drug discovery. Furthermore, recently we identified communication processes between A. nidulans and a distinct Streptomycete that resulted in the activation of a silent gene cluster. This intimate interaction between a fungus and a bacterium allows to speculate about the function of such compounds as infochemicals.
Axel A. Brakhage (*1959 in Bad Salzuflen) is professor and chair of Microbiology and Molecular Biology at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, and academic director at the Leibniz-Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI) in Jena. He is president of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) and coordinator of the graduate school of excellence “Jena School for Microbial Communication”. The main fields of research of Professor Brakhage are infection biology of Aspergillus fumigatus, molecular biotechnology of fungal secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and eukaryotic transcription factors.
Moderation: Professor Dr. rer. nat. Sven Hammerschmidt