Microorganisms in natural environments interact with each other and with plants and animals. They produce a number of chemical compounds, which inhibit or promote the growth of other microorganisms or of plants.

Examples of such molecules, which affect fungi and other eukaryotes comprise amphotericinB, rapamycin, nystatin, bleomycin, doxorubicin and iturin.

At the Microbial Biotechnology Research group, we are focusing on fungal inhibiting bacteria, socalled biocontrol bacteria, from Greenlandic potato fields (photo)

We have isolated a number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, which produce antifungal molecules, and we are characterizing the genes involved in synthesis of the compounds and investigating their effect on fungal growth.

Aim: In the project, the aim is to isolate and characterize novel antifungal bacteria, to unravel the antifungal mechanism, and to characterize the genes involved in the synthesis of the antifungal compounds.

Experimental: Several biotechnological techniques will be used in the project:

• Screening for antifungal bacteria

• Characterization of the microorganism with respect to phylogeny, taxonomy, growth characteristics

• Characterization of antifungal compounds (activity experiments, purification of compound, TLC)

• Cloning and characterization of genes involved in the synthesis of antifungal compounds (DNA isolation, cloning, PCR, sequencing, bioinformatics)

• Production of mutant bacterial isolates defective in antifungal activity (cloning of genes into transposon mutagenesis vectors, selection and characterization of mutants, sequencing and bioinformatics)

Contact and more information:

Peter Stougaard
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Section for Genetics and Microbiology