What is your research background and why did you become interested in this?
In my PhD project, I work with filamentous fungi belonging to the genusPenicillium, famous since Alexander Fleming discovered the antibiotic penicillin in 1929. Members of thePenicilliumgenus are also used for commercial production of other compounds, such as the cholesterol-lowering compactin and the antifungal griseofulvin.
In my project, we sequenced the genomes of ten differentPenicillium物种并发现它们每个都包含许多编码参与各种不同次级代谢物的生物合成的酶的基因。
These types of bio-active compounds that are produced by filamentous fungi are categorized as secondary metabolites; compounds that are not essential for growth and development of the fungus, but which often play an important role in interspecies interactions.
At the Technical University of Denmark we have a collection of more than forty thousand different fungal isolates. In my project, we sequenced the genomes of ten differentPenicillium物种并发现它们每个都包含许多编码参与各种不同次级代谢物的生物合成的酶的基因。因此，该属具有enormous potential for producing secondary metabolites.This finding suggests thatPenicilliumspecies can be a source for new antibiotics and other bio-active compounds.
What was your research project about, and what did you find out?
The species in our collection come from all over the world, for exampleP. arizonense, that was isolated from the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. We found thatthis fungus produces a large number of interesting metaboliteswith antibiotic, antifungal, and anti-cancer activities such as the compoundpyripyropene A。
In many cases, it is not known which genes are connected to the biosynthesis of specific secondary metabolites. This would be valuable information if, for example, you like to optimize the production of a given compound. The sequencing of different fungal genomes can help in establishing these links; you can find two fungi that both make the same secondary metabolite, and look for similarities in their genomes.
What brought you to work with fungi?
在DELFT技术大学的研究中，我学会了将微生物视为（细胞）工厂，可以为我们生产各种化学物质。在代尔夫特，我主要与酵母菌一起作为细胞工厂，但是当我更多地了解丝状真菌及其产生酶，有机酸和二级代谢产物的能力时，我就很感兴趣。现在我是Biosynthetic Pathway Engineering groupat the Technical University of Denmark.
Where would you like the research to take you?
I am really excited about the fast development in the field of industrial microbiology and, after I finish my PhD project at the end of this year, I would like to continue studying the huge potential of fungal cell factories for a more bio-based future.
What advice would you give to young scientists starting out in their career?
My PhD project is part of a bigger Marie Curie Initial Training Network, calledQuantFung。
我建议每个人参加此类培训网络。。这是与国际网络中的研究人员见面，开始合作并结交朋友的好方法。
And one more thing: be happy with all successes, no matter how small they are. And most importantly, celebrate them! I loved that my supervisor already got champagne after submission of our manuscript, instead of after acceptance!
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