We focus on Armillaria, Aspergillus and other fungi producing natural compounds

The associated Research Group Pharmaceutical Microbiology with its natural product-oriented research program links the Institute of Pharmacy at the Friedrich Schiller University with the Hans Knöll Institute. The group focuses on the genetic and biochemical basis of microbial secondary metabolite biosynthesis.

The group is a member of the Cooperative Research Center ChemBioSys in the Graduate School Jena School for Microbial Communication JSMC as well as in the International Leibniz Research School ILRS Mibintact.

Currently, research on the basidiomycetes (mushroom-type fungi) is emphasized. Natural product biosyntheses are investigated using selected model species and genera, including Armillaria, Ceriporiopsis, Psilocybe, and Serpula. The basidiomycetes represent a group of organisms that has received little attention yet regarding their biosynthetic pathways. Another focus area is the biotechnological production of natural products. Further, work is directed towards understanding their ecological function.

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Dirk Hoffmeister

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News from the Leibniz-HKI

An enzyme makes mushrooms “magical” An international research team has investigated the biosynthesis of psilocybin, the main ingredient of hallucinogenic mushrooms. They gained new insig… 04/15/2024 | Press release Read more

Learning from Nature: How a fungus makes a hard job easier The investigation of the biosynthesis of panepoxydone, an important substance for biomedical research, in basidiomycetes has revealed a new enzyme as… 12/14/2023 | Press release Read more

Fungal cultures on agar and soil. Structural formula of lindoline. Comparison of the number of natural substances from basic and higher fungi. Demonstration of anti-oomycetic effect of Lindolin.

Productive against all expectations Contrary to previous theories, Early diverging fungi (EDF) could also be producers of important natural products. One division of EDF contradicts this… 09/25/2023 Read more

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Publications

Hudspeth J, Rogge K, Dörner S, Müll M, Hoffmeister D, Rupp B, Werten S (2024) Methyl transfer in psilocybin biosynthesis. Nat Commun 15(1), 2709.

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Schäfer T, Haun F, Gressler M, Spiteller P, Hoffmeister D (2024) Parallel evolution of Asco- and Basidiomycete O-Prenyltransferases. J Nat Prod 87(3), 576-582.

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Kirchgaessner L, Wurlitzer JM, Seibold PS, Rakhmanov M, Gressler M (2023) A genetic tool to express long fungal biosynthetic genes. Fungal Biol Biotechnol 10(1), 4.

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