We are interested in the biochemistry of filamentous fungi. At present, there are two major areas of research in the laboratory. The first concerns the ability of fungi to oxidize a variety of complex organic molecules. Fungi have been shown to possess several isozymes of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases which correspond to their mammalian counterparts. In higher eukaryotes, these enzymes are responsible for the oxidation of a wide variety of endogenous and exogenous molecules including drugs, steroids and toxic chemicals. The diversity of cytochrome P450 isozymes in fungi has been largely unexplored and we are therefore studying the oxidation of structurally-diverse substrates by fungi. These studies will be of industrial interest in the synthesis of fine chemicals (e.g. regio- and stereoselective hydroxylation and glucosidation) and in the field of bioremediation (role of fungi in the degradation of recalcitrant toxic chemicals). Specific research projects have included the production of pharmacologically-active fungal metabolites of abietane diterpene (C20) compounds isolated from the herb, Tripterygium wilfordii. Another related area has been an ongoing study of fungal oxidation of persistent toxic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to determine the relative contribution of fungal biomass to the overall metabolism of PAH in soil.

We are also interested in the mechanisms of adhesion and invasion of human lung epithelial cells by the opportunistic fungal pathogen, Aspergillus fumigatus. We have cloned and mapped the nitrate assimilation gene cluster from this fungus and have developed a transformation system for wild-type A. fumigatus. At present, we are studying the molecular mechanism of spore adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins. Another study is focussed on the importance of proteases in invasion across basal laminae.