Daniel Cullen

Our main goal is to develop a fundamental understanding of the molecular genetics and physiology of wood decay fungi, particularly as it relates to mechanisms of lignocelulose degradation. Within this broad area, my labs seeks (a) to elucidate the underlying genetics of lignin degrading white rot fungi including the number, structure, organization and regulation of genes relevant to lignocellulose conversions, (b) to advance our understanding of the biochemistry of essential enzymes, (c) to fully develop fundamental genetics of a representative brown rot fungi, and (d) to advance our understanding of gene function via high throughput approaches suitable for whole genomes.Genome investigations have focused principally on the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium and the brown rot fungus Postia placenta. However, our collaborations with the Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute have recently expanded to include the related white rot fungi, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora (http://www.jgi.doe.gov/sequencing/why/csubvermispora.html) and Phlebiopsis gigantea. In addition to their central role in carbon cycling, these wood decay fungi are representative of the basidiomycetes, a broad taxa including mycorrhizae, plant, human and animal pathogens, edible forms, and various saprophytes. Accordingly, my lab also contributes to large international teams examining the distribution and role of these fungi in forest soils, particularly following fire disturbance.

• Molecular genetics of filamentous fungi
• High throughput analysis of fungal transcriptomes and proteomes
• Mechanisms of wood decay
• Enzyme discovery for applications in bioenergy, bioremediation, and pulp and paper processing