Yeast and soil microbe evolution platform for anti-fungal biocontrols

Overview

This research program addresses the urgent need for safe and effective biocontrols against the TR4 strain of Fusarium oxysporum, the causative agent of Panama disease in bananas and other crops. The work combines two parallel strategies: screening and evolving native soil microbial species with natural antifungal activity, and engineering a Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based screening platform to test and evolve novel antifungal compounds. Together, these approaches aim to deliver next-generation biocontrol solutions for agricultural applications.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Screening of culturable bacterial species from soil samples for antifungal activity against TR4, followed by mutagenesis to evolve enhanced antifungal properties
• Directed evolution applied to Bacillus subtilis and other promising bacterial candidates to increase antifungal potency
• Genome sequencing to identify target genes responsible for antifungal activity
• Engineered S. cerevisiae strains expressing TR4 target genes, enabling high-throughput screening of echinocandin-class antifungal molecules
• Creation of multiple versions of the echinocandin biosynthetic pathway to expand chemical diversity
• High-throughput automated screening infrastructure for rapid evaluation of evolved bacterial species and novel antifungals
• Integration of bacterial ecology, fungal pathogen biology, and bioengineering expertise across a three-PI team

Technology readiness level

This program is at an early-to-mid research stage. Preliminary data demonstrates that Bacillus subtilis exhibits natural antifungal activity against F. oxysporum. Future validation will involve systematic screening of soil microbiomes, directed evolution campaigns, and construction of the engineered yeast screening platform. The team has the technical infrastructure, expertise, and preliminary evidence needed to advance toward proof-of-concept biocontrol candidates.