The Künzler Lab - Defense Mechanisms of Fungi

Fungi are multicellular eukaryotes more closely related to animals than plants. Just like animals and plants, fungi must defend themselves against a broad range of antagonists, from nutrient competitors to parasites and predators. But unlike animals and plants, fungal defense is poorly characterized. For example, little is known about how fungi discriminate between different types of antagonists, or how they sense their presence in the first place.

Our Lab investigates the defense mechanisms of multicellular fungi against bacterial competitors and animal micropredators at molecular, cellular, and organismal level. We also address fundamental questions regarding fungal lifestyle, such as nutrient distribution and cell-to-cell signalling.

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