Engineering Fomes fomentarius for next generation renewable composite materials

• Applicant: Professorin Dr.-Ing. Vera Meyer
• Subject Area: Biological Process Engineering
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 549037356

The fungal kingdom is unique in the ability to degrade lignocellulosic substrates and thus constitutes the only solution to recycle megatons of global agricultural and forestry plant waste. Recently, fungal derived biomaterials have emerged as sustainable alternatives for petroleum-based packaging, textiles, and construction materials. Excitingly, our preliminary data have demonstrated that the tinder fungus Fomes fomentarius can produce fungal-plant composite materials, with low flammability/smoke development and similar resistance to compressive force when compared to expanded polystyrene. The overall objective of this proposal is to gain the first ever mechanistic insights into the formation of F. fomentarius-plant composites, and to understand how fungal filamentous growth, cell wall composition, and biomaterial performance are interconnected at the genetic level. To achieve this objective, we have generated a shortlist of high-priority genes for functional analysis based on our expertise characterizing filamentous fungal growth in other species. We will expand this list by constructing a state-of-the art F. fomentarius co-expression network, thus delivering ten rationally prioritized genes predicted to control hyphal polarity, cell wall composition, and adhesion to the plant surface. By using an already established transformation protocol, we will generate knockouts and overexpression mutants for each candidate gene. Quantitative phenotypic screens during a range of growth on laboratory media and plant substrates will generate a comprehensive picture of how each gene impacts F. fomentarius filamentous growth, mycelial properties, cell wall biology, and adhesion. Additionally, fungal-plant composites derived from mutant strains will be generated and tested using materials science and electron microscopy to identify which isolates can be harnessed for rational genetic engineering of composite materials with improved performance. The ultimate goal is to understand the mechanisms behind growth and morphological control during formation of composite materials. Understanding the pathways and processes will ultimately identify gene switches in F. fomentarius whose targeted manipulation will rationally improve composite performance on a genetic level. Hence, a rational genetic approach to predict and engineer the properties of biomaterials derived from F. fomentarius will become possible.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professorin Dr. Anna A. Gorbushina