嗨，劳拉，恭喜Fungal Biology and Biotechnologystudent prize. Could you give us some background information concerning your project and explain why it is important to understand how fungi adapt to xenobiotics?

Thank you. I am very grateful to the editors and judges for this singular honour. It is a nice appreciation of my work. I am currently working with the ectomycorrhizal BasidiomyceteSuillus Luteus，这是我们地区（比利时）松树的常见和土著真菌共生体。

We found美国的危害isolates that were capable to survive and thrive on soils severely polluted with heavy metals. In vitro screenings revealed that美国的危害developed isolates adapted to high concentrations of zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) or copper (Cu).

My PhD research focuses on the investigation of the Zn tolerant isolates of美国的危害由于已经证明，这些分离株能够保护其宿主植物免受金属胁迫的侵害。此功能使它们使它们成为植物稳定应用中使用的有趣候选人。

因此，这已经是研究对异种生物的适应能力很有用的第一个答案：包括真菌在内的微生物对于环保的生物修复目的可能是有用的。尽管为这些目的研究了主要是研究植物生长的根瘤菌，但真菌也很有用。真菌在大多数植物的养分中起着非常重要的作用。

Additionally, I also think studying how an organism adapts to xenobiotics is important since it can shed some light on evolutionary adaptation mechanisms. Many important questions about the genetic basis of adaptation remain unanswered.

Could you briefly describe your research on zinc transporters inSuillus Luteus?

In a nutshell, the aim of my PhD is to elucidate the Zn tolerance mechanism in美国的危害。Previous data from our group suggested that transporter proteins play a crucial role in the tolerance.

因此，我的工作着重于Zn转运蛋白的表征美国的危害。I have already identified 7 CDF (Cation Diffusion Facilitator) and 4 ZIP (Zrt-, Irt- like Proteins) transporters in the genome of美国的危害。CDF和拉链转运蛋白家族控制着真核细胞中的大部分锌转运。

特别是一个转运蛋白SLZNT2非常有趣，因为它表明Zn耐受性与高SLZNT2转录水平相对应。现在进一步研究了基因表达的这种差异。我们使用基因组步行和QPCR（定量聚合酶链反应）来分析SLZNT2启动子序列和基因拷贝数。

是什么让您与真菌一起工作？您最喜欢研究什么？

老实说，在我的生物学研究开始时，我永远不会考虑与真菌合作。幸运的是，我们有一位热情的教授Jan Colpaert，他教我们真菌在陆地生态系统中的重要性。

We were amazed to learn that particular fungi were capable of forming symbiotic associations with plants. The professor introduced us to his work with ectomycorrhizal fungi and what can I say, his enthusiasm was contagious! Later on, I got the opportunity to do an internship for my master’s thesis on this interesting group of fungi and I liked it so much that I stayed on as a PhD student.

我最喜欢的研究是，这不是一件单调的作品。我在实验室中学习并阅读了很多有关不同主题（生态学，菌根，分子生物学，遗传学等）的知识，我使用了很多不同的技术，有时我也会为实践课程提供帮助，这是非常有意义的。因此，总的来说，我作为博士学位学生的工作确实是通用的，我喜欢它。

In the beginning of my PhD I was really impatient, I wanted to start and have results right away. Therefore the lab work sometimes felt too repetitive and even a bit boring. It seemed to take forever before I got my data. However, when I finally obtained my data and they looked good, it was all worth the effort. It is a really nice feeling getting your data and knowing you are making progress in your research. Now, I often have a lot of experiments running at the same time and I am happy with the repetitive work, because it helps me relax and clear my mind.

最后但并非最不重要的一点是，我也喜欢小事。例如，当我们在收藏中有一个孤立的污染物或停止在培养皿上生长的元素时，我就可以“营救”分离物。愚蠢的事情，但是他们可以在我的脸上露出微笑。上周，我去看了我一起生长的松树幼苗美国的危害。他们开发了美丽的Mycorrhiza，我只需要为它们拍照。

Where would you like to see your research taking you in the next few years?

In the next few years, I hope to characterize more Zn transporters in美国的危害和demonstrate their role in the Zn tolerance. Hopefully this will enable me to unravel the molecular mechanism behind the Zn tolerance trait and help me to start developing a phytostabilization technique. I strongly believe this is a viable option, since it has already been demonstrated that these Zn adapted isolates of美国的危害保护他们的宿主松树免受锌的胁迫。

Furthermore, I hope also to grow as a researcher, gaining more knowledge, learning new techniques and discussing further with other researchers in the field.

What advice would you give young scientists starting out in research?

首先，我认为研究对自己有趣的东西非常重要。参与具有挑战性的研究。但是，不要忘记不时退后一步，健康的工作生活平衡也很重要。

如果可能的话，也可以找到一个不错的pi。愿意教您的人，指导您，帮助您并向您保证。让一个人花时间讨论您的工作，给您反馈并问您很多问题，将使您作为研究人员的进化比您预期的要多。

此外，请保持渴望学习并保持开放的心态。如果您的结果与您的假设相抵触，请不要让您失望！尽管科学文献以积极的结果为主，但负面的结果是生命的一部分，也应发表。为障碍做好准备。阅读文章时，您会看到所有这些不错的数据和数字，而且看起来很简单。但是请放心，您将经历的所有优化和反复试验也是其他人也经历的。

在许多情况下，一种在一种物种中效果很好的技术将无法与您合作。在这种情况下，不要灰心！将其视为一种学习体验，您掌握了一项新的技术技能。彻底理解一种技术的诀窍通常是遇到问题，因此进行了很多故障排除。

最后，我还强烈鼓励新研究人员提出问题。提出很多问题，不会被更多的高级研究人员吓倒。毕竟，他们也是学生。