Research in our laboratory aims to understand how fungi see light and use the light signal to regulate development. We use fungi in our experiments since they are eukaryotic cells amenable to genetic and molecular manipulations. The regulation by light of fungal development is an example of how an environmental signal regulates cellular development, and may serve as a model to understand how cells and even complex organisms detect and react to environmental cues.

Light activates the development of fruiting bodies in many fungi and promotes the production of spores, a type of resistant cell, to survive in the absence of food. Fungal spores are easily dispersed, and allow the colonization of new grounds and substrates. Many pathogenic fungi use spores for their dispersion and the colonization of new hosts.  Understanding the mechanisms of spore production and dispersal by light may help to fight the spread of pathogenic fungi.

We do experiments using the fungi Phycomyces blakesleeanus and Neurospora crassa. Spore development, conidiation, in Neurospora (left photograph) and fruit-body development in Phycomyces (top photograph) are induced by light. They are suitable experimental models to assay the effect of light on fungal development.

Additional information about Phycomyces and Neurospora can be found at The Phycomyces web site and The Neurospora home page