Redox iron reactions in acidophilic
fungi. We study fungi from the Fusarium group of Ascomycota. These molds can grow in low nutrient
media (0.5 mg/L yeast extract), at very low pH (0.8-2.4) and colonize glass surfaces. Similar to other fungi from
this group these microbes have the ability to facilitate redox reactions with inorganic iron and form oxalic acid extracellularly.
Oxalic acid may serve as a means to weather silicates and make micronutrients available to the cells; it may also be use as
an iron shuttle. The reason for the iron redox chemistry catalyzed by these fungi is unknown. We isolate new Fusarium
strains and study their physiology. We measure respiration, resistance to antibiotics, and changes in growth and biochemical
composition of extracellular polysaccharides in response to nutrient availability. (Collaborators: Eileen Fitzpatrick; Yelena
Kiseleva; Dania Youssef).
