rok 2007 - Fakulta chemickej a potravinárskej technológie

IV. CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
APVT Project No 20-003904 Biochemical and genetic aspects of senescence and cell death of
filamentous fungi (Boris Lakatoš)
The project concerns the question of senescence in filamentous fungi belonging to asexual fungi (Fungi
imperfecti, deuteromycetes) in submerged and aerial culture. These fungi in aerial culture evade the senescence
by activation of genetic program, which lead to formation of conidia (asexual spores). In submerged culture when
a conidiation is considerably inhibited or in conditions preventing conidiation in aerial culture the mechanisms of
senescence are activated. Together, filamentous fungi are a unique model in whom organisms young and aged
cells are present at the same time. Experimental strategy, which should confirm existence of such mechanisms
and to enable their analysis is a comparison of relevant biochemical, genetic and morphological changes in aerial
and submerged cultures of selected microorganisms and their mutants defective in conidiation. In this study
deuteromycetes Trichoderma viride and Aspergillus nidulans are selected as a experimental models.
Project duration: from 01.01.2005 to 31.12.2007
Vega Project No 1/2335/05 The role of proton-motive force in the Ca2+ homeostasis in
filamentous fungi (Martin Šimkovič)
Ca2+ homeostasis represents an integrating system of every living cell and plays a crucial role in the regulation of
numerous functions on both cellular and organism levels. There is only scarce knowledge on the Ca2+
homeostasis in filamentous fungi, which are scattered among several fungal species. Recently, we described
properties of partial reactions of Ca2+ homeostasis and their developmental changes in deuteromycete
Trichoderma viride. We found that uncouplers stimulated both Ca2+ influx and efflux across the cytoplasmic
membrane. This means that the electrochemical potential of H+ couples Ca2+ translocation across this
membrane. This observation is important for the understanding of Ca2+ homeostasis and opens new views on
the physiology of fungi and its intentional manipulation. This project is mainly devoted to the analysis of this
phenomenon, to ascertaining its universality and/or specificity. A part of this project will be devoted to
experiments, which could elucidate the role of Ca2+ in the signaling pathway triggering the light-induced
conidiation in Trichoderma viride.
Project duration: from 01.01.2005 to 31.12.2007
Vega Project No 1/3251/06 Úloha homeostázy H+ pri adaptívnych odpovediach transportu
živín vo vláknitých hubách (Ľudovít Varečka)
We found earlier that the citrate and glutamate transport into Deuteromycete Trichoderma viride is only
facultatively dependent on the proton-motive force (pmf) that is they become dependent upon the pmf only after
their adaptation to the presence of these compounds. On the other hand, the uracil transport was constitutively
dependent on the pmf. It is feasible that pmf is not a constant cellular parameter of filamentous fungi and its
magnitude varies upon changes in external conditions. It is also feasible that the magnitude of pmf could be a
subject of yet unknown cellular regulatory mechanisms. Furthemore, the response of filamentous fungi to the
insufficient magnitude of pmf will be investigated. The goal of this project is to outline the role of pmf as driving
force for the transport of selected nutrients and for the regulation of related metabolic pathways. Other goal is to
understand mechanisms underlying the changes in pmf during the adaptation to non-saccharidic substrates and
mechanisms used by fungi during the growth under conditions of low pmf.
Project duration: from 01.01.2006 to 31.12.2008
APVV project No LPP-0092-06 Pilotný program rozvoja experimentálnych schopností z
biológie a chémie u stredoškolských študentov (Ľudovít Varečka)
The aim of this project, which should be considered as a pilot project, is to create a set of experimental activities
that could be realized on secondary school lessons and to provide the technical realisation on selected (partner)
secondary schools. These activities will be chosen as to motivate students to study biochemistry, biotechnologies
as well as areas relevant to medicine e.g. physiology, genetics, molecular biology and biomedical engineering
Project duration: from 01.10.2006 to 30.11.2008
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