Research

• Industrial Enzyme Engineering
• G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in infection and disease.
• Mechanism of fungal biocontrol

On the one hand we are engaged in industrial enzyme engineering toward the development of novel bioprocessing technologies to apply to industrial waste streams for the production of value added products in the mining, forestry, textiles and feed/food industries.

On the other hand our lab is investigating mechanistic aspects of fungal pathogenesis and related fungal biocontrol. This includes a particular focus on Fusarium graminearum, a devastating fungal pathogen of cereal crops that both decreases grain quality and yield as well as deposits mycotoxins. Fusarium has become significantly more prevalent in Canada recently, likely related to climate change. Toward addressing Fusarium, we are also studying the mechanisms underlying the fungal biocontrol agent Clonostachy rosea, shown to have growth inhibition activity toward Fusarium. We use genetic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, biochemical and biophysical methods to probe fungal perception and signal transduction as well as metabolic pathways underlying the pathogenic and biocontrol functionalities of these fungal species. Assays use a variety of different analytical methods such as liquid chromatography, mass spectroscopy, photospectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance for metabolite analyses. We also use protein crystallography to better understand protein-structure function relationships.

Publications, Protein Structures and Patents

Our 3 latest publications include: