Seminar of the Department of Microbiology

Upgrading Aspergillus fumigatus genetic toolbox

Clara Baldin, PhD - AG Zeilinger-Migsich, Department of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck

30.06.2022, 11:00 - Online & in presence - Join online - or in presence: Room 504 Seminarraum Biologie Foyer, Viktor-Franz-Hess Haus, ground floor (next to the aquarium)

Abstract

Filamentous fungi are rapidly gaining popularity in the scientific and medical fields due to their increasing use in industry as well as the spreading of clinically relevant species. Consequently, it is essential that genetic toolboxes to better manipulate them are constantly upgraded.

Taking the human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus as model, in this seminar I will present some examples of genetic manipulation improvements. Despite this fungus is well studied and its molecular toolbox quite established, recently it was proved that the most commonly used dominant markers were actually affecting the metabolism upon integration into the genome. Inducible versions of the classical markers have been generated and showed similar efficiency for selection but allowed to completely abrogate the undesired effects after transformation. In another recent study, different inducible expression systems in A. fumigatus were further elucidated and compared, allowing for the first time the simultaneous still independent regulation of three different genes without any cross-reactivity.