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A/PROF Alexander Idnurm

Positions

Academic, BioSciences

Fungal diseases (Oilseed brassicas and human pathogens)
Fungal genetics (Mendelian genetics and mating in fungi)

Overview

Has subject area

For 2008 6 Digit Code
- Infectious Agents
- Mycology

Affiliation

Member of

American Society for Microbiology. Member 2004 -

Publications

Selected publications

2019
- Journal Articles
  - Amblypygid-fungal interactions: The whip spider exoskeleton as a substrate for fungal growth. Fungal Biology. 123. 2019
  - Analysis of Repeat Induced Point (RIP) Mutations in Leptosphaeria maculans Indicates Variability in the RIP Process Between Fungal Species. Genetics. 211. 2019
  - Biotechnological potential of engineering pathogen effector proteins for use in plant disease management. Biotechnology Advances. 37. 2019
  - Identification of a gene cluster for the synthesis of the plant hormone abscisic acid in the plant pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 130. 2019
  - Lighting Up Mutation: a New Unbiased System for the Measurement of Microbial Mutation Rates.. MBIO. 10. 2019
  - The TOR Pathway Plays Pleiotropic Roles in Growth and Stress Responses of the Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Genetics. 212. 2019
  - The dual function gene RAD23 contributes to Cryptococcus neoformans virulence independently of its role in nucleotide excision DNA repair. 2019
  - The fungal gene cluster for biosynthesis of the antibacterial agent viriditoxin. 2019
2018
- Journal Articles
  - Exploring and exploiting the connection between mitochondria and the virulence of human pathogenic fungi. Virulence. 9. 2018
  - Genomic and Genetic Insights Into a Cosmopolitan Fungus, Paecilomyces variotii (Eurotiales). Frontiers in Microbiology. 9. 2018
  - Mystique of Phycomyces blakesleeanus is a peculiar mitochondrial genetic element that is highly variable in DNA sequence while subjected to strong negative selection. Journal of Genetics. 97. 2018
  - Phylogenetic and Phylogenomic Definition of Rhizopus Species. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. 8. 2018
  - The CRISPR revolution in fungal biology and biotechnology, and beyond. 2018
  - The contribution of the White Collar complex to Cryptococcus neoformans virulence is independent of its light-sensing capabilities. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 121. 2018
- Journal Articles Refereed
  - Changes in allele frequencies of avirulence genes in the blackleg fungus, Leptosphaeria maculans, over two decades in Australia. Crop and Pasture Science. 69. 2018
2017
- Journal Articles
  - A Ras GTPase associated protein is involved in the phototropic and circadian photobiology responses in fungi. Scientific Reports. 7. 2017
  - A silver bullet in a golden age of functional genomics: the impact of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of fungi. 2017
  - Fungal Sex: The Mucoromycota. Microbiology Spectrum. 5. 2017
  - Importance of Resolving Fungal Nomenclature: the Case of Multiple Pathogenic Species in the Cryptococcus Genus 2017
  - Mismatch Repair of DNA Replication Errors Contributes to Microevolution in the Pathogenic Fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. MBIO. 8. 2017
  - Openness and visibility of fungal bio(techno)logy. 2017
  - Pilaira australis sp nov (Mucorales, Mucoromycota) isolated from emu faeces in Australia. Phytotaxa: a rapid international journal for accelerating the publication of botanical taxonomy. 329. 2017
  - The inhibition of mating in Phycomyces blakesleeanus by light is dependent on the MadA-MadB complex that acts in a sex-specific manner. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 101. 2017
- Journal Articles Refereed
2016
- Journal Articles Refereed
  - Expansion of Signal Transduction Pathways in Fungi by Extensive Genome Duplication. Current Biology. 26. 2016
  - FUNGAL PHYSIOLOGY Red light plugs into MAPK pathway. NATURE MICROBIOLOGY. 1. 2016
  - Fungal diseases of canola in Australia: identification of trends, threats and potential therapies. Australasian Plant Pathology. 45. 2016
  - Gene Function Analysis in the Ubiquitous Human Commensal and Pathogen Malassezia Genus. MBIO. 7. 2016
  - Transcriptomic responses of the basidiomycete yeast Sporobolomyces sp to the mycotoxin patulin. BMC Genomics. 17. 2016
2015
- Journal Articles Refereed
  - Contrasted patterns in mating-type chromosomes in fungi: Hotspots versus coldspots of recombination 2015
  - Diversity, ecology, and evolution in Phycomyces. Fungal Biology. 119. 2015
  - Essential Gene Discovery in the Basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans for Antifungal Drug Target Prioritization. MBIO. 6. 2015
  - Morphology and its underlying genetic regulation impact the interaction between Cryptococcus neoformans and its hosts. Medical Mycology. 53. 2015
  - Phytochelatin synthase is required for tolerating metal toxicity in a basidiomycete yeast and is a conserved factor involved in metal homeostasis in fungi. 2015
  - Rising to the challenge of multiple Cryptococcus species and the diseases they cause. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 78. 2015
2014
- Journal Articles Refereed
  - 'Division of labour' in response to host oxidative burst drives a fatal Cryptococcus gattii outbreak. Nature Communications. 5. 2014
  - Analysis of the Genome and Transcriptome of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii Reveals Complex RNA Expression and Microevolution Leading to Virulence Attenuation. PLoS Genetics. 10. 2014
  - Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, the Etiologic Agents of Cryptococcosis. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine. 4. 2014
  - Extreme diversification of the mating type-high-mobility group (MATA-HMG) gene family in a plant-associated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus. New Phytologist. 201. 2014
  - Phs1 and the Synthesis of Very Long Chain Fatty Acids Are Required for Ballistospore Formation. PLoS One. 9. 2014
  - Sex Determination Directs Uniparental Mitochondrial Inheritance in Phycomyces. Eukaryotic Cell. 13. 2014
  - Welcome to Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2014
2013
- Book Chapters
  - Experimental and Natural Evolution of the Cryptococcus Neoformans and Cryptococcus Gattii Species Complex. Evolution of Virulence in Eukaryotic Microbes. 2013
- Journal Articles
  - A New Genetic Linkage Map of the Zygomycete Fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus. PLoS One. 8. 2013
  - Congenic Strains for Genetic Analysis of Virulence Traits in Cryptococcus gattii. Infection and Immunity. 81. 2013
  - Congenic Strains of the Filamentous Form of Cryptococcus neoformans for Studies of Fungal Morphogenesis and Virulence. Infection and Immunity. 81. 2013
  - Light Sensing in Aspergillus fumigatus Highlights the Case for Establishing New Models for Fungal Photobiology. MBIO. 4. 2013
  - Overcoming recalcitrant transformation and gene manipulation in Pucciniomycotina yeasts. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 97. 2013
  - Searching for Genes Responsible for Patulin Degradation in a Biocontrol Yeast Provides Insight into the Basis for Resistance to This Mycotoxin. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 79. 2013
  - The Uve1 Endonuclease Is Regulated by the White Collar Complex to Protect Cryptococcus neoformans from UV Damage. PLoS Genetics. 9. 2013
  - Transmission of Hypervirulence Traits via Sexual Reproduction within and between Lineages of the Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus gattii. PLoS Genetics. 9. 2013
2012
- Book Chapters
  - Sexual pheromones in the fungi. Biocommunication of Fungi. 2012
- Journal Articles
  - Transgene Induced Co-Suppression during Vegetative Growth in Cryptococcus neoformans. PLoS Genetics. 8. 2012
- Journal Articles Refereed
  - A gene for carotene cleavage required for pheromone biosynthesis and carotene regulation in the fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 49. 2012
  - DNA Mutations Mediate Microevolution between Host-Adapted Forms of the Pathogenic Fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. PLoS Pathogens. 8. 2012
2011
- Journal Articles
  - Development of resources for the analysis of gene function in Pucciniomycotina red yeasts. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 48. 2011
  - New surprises from within the black box of fungal melanization. Virulence. 2. 2011
  - New surprises from within the black box of fungal melanization.. Virulence. 2. 2011
  - Sex Determination in the First-Described Sexual Fungus. Eukaryotic Cell. 10. 2011
  - Sex and speciation: the paradox that non-recombining DNA promotes recombination. 2011
2010
- Journal Articles
  - A Tetrad Analysis of the Basidiomycete Fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. Genetics. 185. 2010
  - A glimpse into the basis of vision in the kingdom Mycota. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 47. 2010
  - Ferrochelatase is a conserved downstream target of the blue light-sensing White collar complex in fungi. Microbiology-SGM. 156. 2010
  - Two Origins for the Gene Encoding alpha-Isopropylmalate Synthase in Fungi. PLoS One. 5. 2010
2009
- Journal Articles
  - Genomic Analysis of the Basal Lineage Fungus Rhizopus oryzae Reveals a Whole-Genome Duplication. PLoS Genetics. 5. 2009
  - Identification of ENA1 as a Virulence Gene of the Human Pathogenic Fungus Cryptococcus neoformans through Signature-Tagged Insertional Mutagenesis. Eukaryotic Cell. 8. 2009
  - Phycomyces MADB interacts with MADA to form the primary photoreceptor complex for fungal phototropism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 106. 2009
  - The Photobiology of Microbial Pathogenesis. PLoS Pathogens. 5. 2009
2008
- Journal Articles
  - Identification of the sex genes in an early diverged fungus. Nature. 451. 2008
2007
- Book Chapters
  - Sex in the Rest: Mysterious Mating in the Chytridiomycota and Zygomycota. SEX IN FUNGI: MOLECULAR DETERMINATION AND EVOLUTIONARY IMPLICATIONS. American Society for Microbiology. 2007
- Journal Articles
  - Eca1, a Sarcoplasmic/Endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase, is involved in stress tolerance and virulence in Cryptococcus neoformans. Infection and Immunity. 75. 2007
  - Peroxisome function regulates growth on glucose in the basidiomycete fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. Eukaryotic Cell. 6. 2007
  - Sensing the environment: lessons from fungi. Nature Reviews Microbiology. 5. 2007
- Journal Articles Refereed
  - Fungal pathogenesis: Gene clusters unveiled as secrets within the Ustilago maydis code. Current Biology. 17. 2007
2006
- Journal Articles
  - Conserved elements of the RAM signaling pathway establish cell polarity in the basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans in a divergent fashion from other fungi. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 17. 2006
  - Recombination hotspots flank the Cryptococcus mating-type locus: Implications for the evolution of a fungal sex chromosome. PLoS Genetics. 2. 2006
  - Recombination hotspots flank the Cryptococcus mating-type locus: implications for the evolution of a fungal sex chromosome.. PLoS Genetics. 2. 2006
  - The Phycomyces madA gene encodes a blue-light photoreceptor for phototropism and other light responses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 103. 2006
2005
- Journal Articles
  - Cryptococcus neoformans gene involved in mammalian pathogenesis identified by a Caenorhabditis elegans progeny-based approach. Infection and Immunity. 73. 2005
  - Deciphering the model pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. Nature Reviews Microbiology. 3. 2005
  - Galleria mellonella as a model system to study Cryptococcus neoformans pathogenesis. Infection and Immunity. 73. 2005
  - Light controls growth and development via a conserved pathway in the fungal kingdom. PLoS Biology. 3. 2005
  - Light controls growth and development via a conserved pathway in the fungal kingdom. PLoS Biology. 3. 2005
  - Novel gene functions required for melanization of the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Molecular Microbiology. 57. 2005
  - Photosensing fungi: Phytochrome in the spotlight. Current Biology. 15. 2005
  - Photosensing fungi: phytochrome in the spotlight.. Current Biology. 15. 2005
2004
- Journal Articles
  - Cryptococcus neoformans Kin1 protein kinase homologue, identified through a Caenorhabditis elegans screen, promotes virulence in mammals. Molecular Microbiology. 54. 2004
  - Cryptococcus neoformans virulence gene discovery through insertional mutagenesis. Eukaryotic Cell. 3. 2004
2003
- Journal Articles
  - Intergeneric hybridizaton between Schlumbergera Lem. and Hatiora Britt. & Rose (Cactaceae) 2003
  - Somaclonal breeding of reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.). Grass and Forage Science. 58. 2003
- Journal Articles Refereed
  - Analysis of loss of pathogenicity mutants reveals that repeat-induced point mutations can occur in the Dothideomycete Leptosphaeria maculans. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 39. 2003
  - Characterisation of neutral trehalase and UDP-glucose : sterol glucosyltransferase genes from the plant pathogenic fungus Leptosphaeria maculans. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology. 62. 2003
  - Small scale functional genomics of the blackleg fungus, Leptosphaeria maculans: analysis of a 38 kb region. Australasian Plant Pathology. 32. 2003
2002
- Journal Articles
  - Phylogenetic relationships in the Gesnerioideae (Gesneriaceae) based on nrDNA ITS and cpDNA trnL-F and trnE-T spacer region sequences. American Journal of Botany. 89. 2002
- Journal Articles Refereed
  - Characterization of a gene (sp1) encoding a secreted protein from Leptosphaeria maculans, the blackleg pathogen of Brassica napus. Molecular Plant Pathology. 3. 2002
  - Isocitrate lyase is essential for pathogenicity of the fungus leptosphaeria maculans to canola (Brassica napus). Eukaryotic Cell. 1. 2002
2001
- Journal Articles Refereed
  - Characterization of an opsin gene from the ascomycete Leptosphaeria maculans. Genome. 44. 2001
  - Leptosphaeria maculans, the causal agent of blackleg disease of Brassicas. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 33. 2001
  - Pathogenicity genes of phytopathogenic fungi. Molecular Plant Pathology. 2. 2001
  - Physiology and genetics of self-incompatibility in Echinopsis chamaecereus (Cactaceae). Sexual Plant Reproduction. 13. 2001
2000
- Journal Articles
  - Using RAPD markers to identify genetic variation in quackgrass (Elytrigia repens) biotypes. Annals of Applied Biology. 136. 2000
- Conference Proceedings
  - Genetic analysis of the blackleg fungus Leptosphaeria maculans. ACTA Horticulturae. 2000

Research

Investigator on

Grant
- Program 2 - Towards Effective Control of Blackleg of Canola: Coordinating international blackleg research and development (R&D Open Tender) awarded by GRAINS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP 2019 - 2023
- Towards Effective Control of Blackleg of Canola Program 1: Disease Epidemiology and Management (R&D Open Tender) awarded by GRAINS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP 2019 - 2023
- Mechanisms of antifungal resistance in blackleg disease of canola (Linkage Projects) awarded by AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL 2018 - 2021
- State-of-the-art plant growth facilities dedicated to grains research (Infrastructure Grants) awarded by GRAINS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP 2017 - 2027
- Identification of the targets for the next generation of antifungal drugs (Melbourne Research Grants Support Scheme) awarded by UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE 2017 - 2018
- 'Proof of concept' for approaches designed at increasing disease resistance to fungal pathogens of canola (Protecting Your Crop) awarded by GRAINS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP 2013 - 2018
- National Canola Pathology Program including new molecular knowledge, pathogen evolution and control technologies (Protecting Your Crop) awarded by GRAINS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP 2013 - 2018
- THE EFFECTS OF DAMAGE AND REPAIR OF FUNGAL DNA ON ANIMAL AND PLANT DISEASES (Future Fellowships) awarded by AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL 2013 - 2018
- The role of autophagy on the pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans and as a potential drug target (FAPESP – University of Melbourne SPRINT Call for Proposals) awarded by UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE - 2018

Awards

Education and training

PhD, University of Melbourne 2002
BSc (Hons), University of Melbourne 1997

Awards and honors

Elected to the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Kappa Phi, 2013
Trustees' Faculty Scholar Award, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2010
Career Service Award, Duke University Medical Center, 2007
Trinity College Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Trinity College, University of Melbourne, 1997
The Botany Prize, University of Melbourne, 1996

Supervision

Available for supervision

Y

Supervision Statement

The research focus of people in my laboratory is on fungal diseases of crops and humans. We use molecular biology and classical genetic approaches to identify genes and then characterize their products that enable these fungi to cause disease. More information about the lab and research activities can be found at our website http://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/mycology

Contact Details
- alexander.idnurm@unimelb.edu.au
- 03 8344 2221
- fax: 03 9347 5460
- Location
  - Level: 02 Room: 218, Biosciences 2, Parkville
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