Plant biomass degradation by fungi is a key step of the carbon cycle on earth, but carbon sequestration is also mediated by mutualistic fungi through symbiosis with plants. Indeed plant material is the most abundant repository of organic carbon and fungi are the primary decomposers of dead or alive plant cell walls. To do so, they display a unique palette of enzymes involved in the production of bio-active compounds. Regulating gene expression in fungi may be mediated
by epigenetic events. This research proposal aims to better comprehend the fungal genetic and epigenetic programs that govern the production of these active molecules upon changing environments.
Proposer: Fabienne Malagnac, University Paris Sud (France)
Proposal: Linking epigenomic regulation of carbon acquisition to nutrient use in fungi