Development and application of atomic force microscopy to understand the architecture and function of the fungal cell wall.

Fungal diseases cause major crop losses worldwide. Although combatted with fungicides, these are facing the twin challenges of gradual loss of efficacy and increasing regulatory control. Creating novel, more specific solutions to fighting fungal disease is core to decreasing crop losses, thus maintaining food supply. The cell wall of fungi is distinct from host crop plants (and humans), and, therefore, is a potential target for specific control measures. However, to date it has been surprisingly under-investigated.
Using advanced AFM techniques, the student will characterise the wall structure Zymoseptoria tritici, a major fungal pathogen of wheat. Exploiting available genetic resources and approaches to sequentially digest the fungal wall, the student will explore the link between fungal gene expression, wall structure, and ability of the fungus to infect host plants. These results will provide new insight into the structure of the fungal cell wall at a resolution not previously achieved, and will aid in the identification of potential targets for agritech to develop novel approaches to controlling this major pathogen.
The project combines advanced technologies in soft matter physics applied to a biological problem of both fundamental interest and application to securing future food security.