Transcriptomic profile of different wood-decaying fungi on crystalline cellulose using varying nitrogen concentrations

I am studying the influence of nitrogen availability on the metabolic pathways involved in cellulose degradation, with a focus on comparing the responses between white-rot and brown-rot fungi. I hypothesize that under low nitrogen conditions, white-rot fungi may activate alternative degradation strategies that rely less on extracellular enzymes. In contrast, I expect brown-rot fungi to exhibit cellulose degradation that is less affected by nitrogen fluctuations. To investigate this, I am using transcriptomics to analyze the metabolic responses of various fungi.

The project began in spring 2023, and some transcriptome experiments have already been conducted. I have established a workflow and completed initial analyses of the transcriptome data. In September 2024, I expanded the experiment to include four additional fungal species. Data collection for these additional species will finish in November 2024, with the second batch of transcriptomic data analysis scheduled for 2025. Sequencing will be sent to BGI in November 2024, and I plan to seek support from NBIS for data analysis. After completing the experiments, data will be submitted to Genbank.