#universityofnottingham

Did you know fungi have sex - and are especially active on porridge?

A group of mycologists at the University of Nottingham are investigating the molecular and physiological processes that control sexual reproduction in ascomycete fungi.

The group of scientists quite literally look for sex in fungi. By examining the core biology of fungal sex, the group want to understand how this process can be exploited to do weird and wonderful things to benefit human and plant health.

One particular fungus they are studying is the Aspergillus fumigatus, which was once thought to reproduce only asexually - but the group’s research has shown that it does have a sexual cycle.

First catalogued in 1729 by Italian priest-turned-botanist Pier Antonio Micheli, the Aspergillus genus reminded Micheli of an aspergillum – a holy water sprinkler. Micheli has since been dubbed the founding father of scientific mycology.

TheAspergillus genus is the name for a group of moulds, and is particularly important as some species like the fumigatus can cause infections in humans and animals.

The group at Nottingham hope to develop a method for identifying unknown resistance genes against treatments in aspergillosis infections, which are caused by the Aspergillus fumigatus fungus. Although relatively uncommon in the UK, people who already suffer from chest conditions like asthma and COPD are at risk of contracting aspergillosis, which poses potentially very serious health risks.

You can read more about Nottingham University’s fungal sex project on the BBSRC website.