Aureobasidium pullulans is a ubiquitous, poly-extremotolerant fungus with a great application potential in industry, agriculture, and for bioremediation. This fungus is not only interesting due to its application potential, but it also possesses an outstanding morphological plasticity i.e., it can grow in different cell types and colony forms. This morphological plasticity is considered to contribute to the adaptability and stress tolerance in this fungus, and to have implications on the application potential. Surprisingly, only extraordinarily little is known about the corresponding regulatory network in A. pullulans. In this project, we aim to untangle the puzzle of the regulatory network in A.pullulans that governs cell type switching and how it effects the application potential.

We will cultivate a reference strain and derivative strains with “locked” phenotypes in a large-scale, multivariate experiment. The different cell types will be separated and scrutinized using “omics” analyses. The results of the phenotype measurements and the “omics” will be compiled and assessed by state-of-the-art bioinformatics. This approach will deliver a plethora of new information and findings, including the discovery of the main regulatory factors and mechanisms for morphological plasticity. We are excited to apply modern analytical technology and bioinformatics to tackle such a complex and fascinating scientific problem. The results of this project will contribute to understanding a core attribute of A. pullulans and enable knowledge-based strain design for future applications in the industry and agriculture.