The main research interest is natural products biosynthesis in filamentous fungi. Natural products are organic molecules of living organisms that mainly derive from the secondary metabolism, which is why they are often referred to as secondary metabolites. Although usually not crucial for the producing organism, natural products exhibit distinct biological activities, which make them very important for pharmaceutical and medicinal applications. Accordingly, natural products make the majority of today’s remedy: about 65% of all drugs approved in the last 35 years are either natural products (including botanical mixtures and vaccines) or derivatives thereof (Newmann and Gragg, J. Nat. Prod., 2016).

Filamentous fungi are a promising source of natural products. Nevertheless, they are much less investigated in comparison to popular producers of natural products such as streptomycetes for example. Hence, much remains to be explored in this regard.

The organisms we are mainly working with are the two distantly related Ascomycota Talaromyces islandicus and Cyanodermella asteris. One is a ubiquitous mold, the other an endophyte deriving from the Chinese medicinal plant Aster tataricus. Genetic analyses revealed an enormous genetic potential for the biosynthesis of natural products, possibly including novel ones. Moreover, we are working with the Basidiomycota fungus Clitopilus passeckerianus which produces the antibiotic pleuromutilin.

• Molecular and genetic investigation of the biosynthesis of the non-ribosomal peptide cyclochlorotine
• Production, purification and elucidating the mode of action of astin C ­­­— a pharmaceutically relevant natural product
• Increasing the production of the antibiotic pleuromutilin by means of metabolic engineering

Hannes Maier (PhD student)

Former members:
Maria-Linda Indelicato (bachelor student)
Malika Bataeva (bachelor student)
Antonia Binder (bachelor student)
Nele Dierlamm (student assistant)
Jasmina Dukic (bachelor student)
Lisa-Marie Eder (bachelor student)
Franziska Hufnagel (bachelor student)
Luka Martinovic (master student)
Raphael Olipitz (student assistant)
Lea Seibert (student assistant)
Sarah Zarei (PhD student)