Abstract: The invention relates to the production of secondary metabolites by fungi. More particularly, the invention relates to improvement of production of commercially important secondary metabolites by fungi. The invention provides methods for improving secondary metabolite production in a fungus, comprising modulating the expression of a gene involved in regulation of secondary metabolite production.

Abstract: Methods for improving the production of a secondary metabolite by a fungus by increasing the yield or productivity of the secondary metabolite produced by the fungus are described. The methods include increasing the expression of LYS14, for example, by transforming a cell with a nucleic acid molecule encoding LYS14.

Abstract: Methods for improving secondary metabolite production by modulating certain genes involved in secondary metabolite production, including genes encoding CreA, AreA, GanB, Gna3, FadA, Gna1, Gpa1, RfeH, An09, PacC, Lys14, LovU, Ste7, Pde2, Nc1, Vps34 and fungal homologs thereof.

Abstract: An image analysis method characterizes cells based on the elongation. It analyzes an image of the cells and automatically identifies points or locations of high contrast (i.e., regions where the transition from intense signal to weak signal occurs abruptly, over a short distance). Groups of contiguous high contrast points collectively define a putative cell edge. Identified edges are then analyzed to determine whether they are elongated. In one example, edges with relatively low curvature are deemed elongated. The curvature analysis may be accomplished by calculating a shape descriptor for each edge (e.g., calculating the circular variance for each edge). One or more stages of the analysis may employ some degree of filtering, smoothing or other processing to remove certain artifacts in the image.

Abstract: The invention relates to the production of secondary metabolites by fungi. More particularly, the invention relates to improvement of production of commercially important secondary metabolites by fungi. The invention provides methods for improving secondary metabolite production in a fungus, comprising modulating the expression of a gene involved in regulation of secondary metabolite production.

Abstract: Provided are methods of identifying potential antifungal agents, and particularly those having antimitotic activity. Fungal cells having double mutations which alter microtubule stability and inhibit cell proliferation are used in the methods. Test compounds are screened to identify those which are able to promote cell proliferation o the mutant fungal cells and counteract the stabilizing effect of the double mutations on the microtubules. High-throughput methods of selecting for the novel antifungal agents are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides isolated nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of Candida glabrata beta-tubulin, antibodies to C. glabrata beta-tubulin, and methods of screening to identify antifungals using biologically active C. glabrata beta-tubulin.

Abstract: The invention relates to the production of secondary metabolites by fungi. More particularly, the invention relates to improvement of production of commercially important secondary metabolites by fungi. The invention provides methods for improving secondary metabolite production in a fungus, comprising modulating the expression of a gene involved in regulation of secondary metabolite production.