Molecular Interactions between Fungi and their Hosts

Vakinformatie

Molecular Interactions between fungi and their hosts

ECTS-fiche: https://onderwijsaanbod.kuleuven.be/syllabi/e/G0B98AE.htm

Examenvragen

28 januari 2026

1. Explain the role of SA and JA in plant-fungal-pathogen interaction. What are the origen of these molecules + how do they work.
2. What is collateral sensitivity? Explain how it was found in C. auris. How can it be used to treat C. auris infection.
3. White-nose-syndrome. Explain the underlying mechanisms and a possible solution.
4. Arbuscular micorrhiza. Explain its molecular mechnanisms and how to investigate. How is the fungus rewarded. Explain the difference with haustoria.
5. What are the virulence factors of Aspergillus fumegatus. If needed to find a way to target the fungus. What target would you propose and why?

14 januari 2026

1. What processes are involved in C. albicans contact in oral epithelial cells? What virulence mechanisms does C. albicans use? How does the epithelial cells react? What are the main differences between immuno-competent and immuno-compromised patients? (5p)
2. What are the virulence factors of Mucorales? What type of antifungal drug would you consider? (3p)
3. What is the appressorium? Which pathways influence it? (4p)
4. Als3 is an important factor in virulence of Candida albicans, what type of molecule is it? Explain the function. (4p)
5. What type of molecule is Amphotericin B? How does it work? What are the mechanisms used by Candida auris to become resistant? (4p)

29 augustus 2025

1. What processes are involved in C. albicans contact in oral epithelial cells? What virulence mechanisms does C. albicans use? How does the epithelial cells react? What are the main differences between immunu-competent and immuno-compromised patients?
2. What is collateral sensitivity? How is it found in C. auris and give the mechanisms used to find it? How can it be used to combat C. auris?
3. What is an appressorium? Give signal transduction or metabolic pathway mechanisms.
4. What are the advantages of arbuscular mycorrhiza in plants? What are the molecular mechanisms? Is the fungi rewarded? What is the difference with a haustorium?

15 januari 2025

1. Biofilm formation in Candida albicans (stages + mechanism). What in vitro and in vivo model did we see to study biofilm formation? (4)
2. SA (4)
3. White-opaque switching virulence. What? Regulation? What can be the biological reason? (4)
4. Histoplasma capsulatum (3)
5. Explain Avr-R system with Cladosporium fulvum - tomato as an example + link with the zigzag-model. How will you use this knowledge to make corn resistant to the disease Fusarium.(5)

1 januari 2023

1. Specific and non specific strategies of necrotrophic fungi.
2. Iron starvation makes fungicidal drug from azols. They have found upregulated and downregulated genes. What research would you do? What are good genes to target? what makes a good drug target? how would you set up a mass screening?
3. Human immune response and give mechanisms and examples how fungi avoid it.
4. Explain Arv-R system and use zigzag model. Explain with the help of the tomato-(forgot name of fungus) example.
5. Biofilm formation of C.albecans. What are the stages, which genes are important, why are they a problem in hospitals.

19 januari 2022 VM

1. How can you easily distinguish between Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes. Give the model organisms of plant and animal pathogens for both of these groups. (3 points)
2. Cryptococcus neoformans. What is it? Describe the virulence factors. How does the host respond to such an invasion? How does Cryptococcus deal with this host defense response? What are the diseases that you can get from such an infection? (4 points)
3. The role of high amounts of CO2 on morphogenesis in C. albicans. Describe the underlying signal transduction pathways. (3 points)
4. Arbuscular mycorrhiza and haustoria. Describe the underlying molecular mechanisms behind exchange of carbon and nutrients for both. How can you investigate this? What is the functional difference between the two? (4 points)
5. A synergestisch biofilmformation effect is observed both in vivo and in vitro for C. albicans and S. aureus. Several genes have been identified that are either upregulated or downregulated in C. albicans during this synergestic relationship that are not found when C. albicans is grown alone. How would you investigate these genes? Describe all the steps and the used techniques. Also give a possible animal model system in which you can investigate this. Which genes would be good targets for antifungal drug resistance? (6 points)

29 januari 2020 VM

1. Explain how extracellular pH regulates morphogenesis in Candida albicans.
2. Discuss the origin and role of elicitors.
3. Discuss the biosynthesis and role of phytoalexins.
4. Explain the initial response of human epithelial cells upon encountering hyphal Candida albicans cells. What happens afterwards in immunocompetent people?
5. In a recent screen, the lab has isolated a transcription factor in Candida glabrata that is overexpressed when cultured on RPMI medium at an atmospheric pressure of 5% CO2, and is not overexpressed when cells are grown in air. How are you going to investigate its potential role in virulence? What techniques and assays will you use and which steps do you do first?

28 januari 2020 VM

In general, take into account the molecules, proteins and genes involved when studying.

1. Explain Avr-R system with Cladosporium fulvum - tomato as an example + link with the zigzag-model
2. PR- PR5- Osmotin. Explain
3. Types of drugs against fungi. Mechanisms to fight back
4. ALS- ALS3. Explanation. All included
5. A new genx has been overexpressed in C.glabrata when culturing over oral epithelial cells. What is the next step? What can you learn from this if you want to develop a new antifungal drug?

20 januari 2020 VM

1. White-opaque switching in C. albicans
2. Elicitors: role and origin
3. Morphogenesis C. albicans: role CO2 and farnesol
4. Fluconazole: mechanism en resistance
5. RNA sequencing to understand plant-pathogenic interactions. They identified a transcript in M. grisea, highly upregulated 30min after M. grisea sporulation on the plant. What experiments to investigate the upregulated gene in M. grisea after the interaction with a rice plant.

17 januari 2020 NM

1. Explain appressorium
2. Explain SA + give the most important signal transduction pathways
3. How can fungi avoid the human immune defense?
4. Give the biology + virulence factors of cryptococcus neoformans
5. During gene expression analysis of Candida glabrata, a gene was upregulated with low pH. How would you investigate if this gene is involved in virulence, adhesion or biofilm formation? Imagine this is your thesis topic, which type of experiments and which techniques would you use?

17 januari 2020 VM

1. Where is PAL important, which reaction does in catalyse?
2. A. fumigatus is an important human pathogen. What are its virulence factors? Why are healthy people not infected? What is important in basic azole resistance of the pathogen in the environment? (2nd part of the question: agriculture sprays their plants with azoles to prevent fungal infections on their crops. This will in turn cause resistance in the fungi present)
3. What are the differences and similarities between ascomycetes and basidiomycetes? What are important plant and human fungal pathogens in both phyla?
4. What are Paldoxins and how does it work?
5. You used an deletion collection and found a strain with TF X deleted. In vitro it does not produce a biofilm. What is the first thing you do, how will you find its function? Can it be a target for a antifungal drug? what are the criteria for this? What experiments would you still do and what screen will you set up to test for an antifungal drug?

30 januari 2019 VM

1. Explain opaque-white phenotypic switch in C. Albicans and its relevance in virulence.
   • Bijvraag: de rol van white cellen in biofilm
2. Elicitor uitleggen origin and role in plant defence (hij vroeg ook of een compatible interaction een incompatible reaction kan worden --> dus het zigzag model van clostridium tomato als vb)
3. PR5 osmotin: How discoverd and role (explain everything)
4. Fluconasole working and resistance mechanisms against it (leg alles uit incl. alles van azolen)
   • Bijvraag: Hoe komt het dat fluconasole resistentie vaak voorkomt in ziekenhuizen (antw: biofilm vorming)
5. Er is een nieuw gen in C.glabrata ontdekt dat sterk tot expressie komt in anaerobe omstandigheden. How investigating if it plays a role in virulence and what it targets are.

21 januari 2019

1. Explain the role of SA in plant defense. Which signalling pathways are important?
2. Explain which classes of toxins exist and give an example of which class. Which type of fungi uses this. (He also asked why specific toxins are specific)
3. Discuss different ways of fungal immune evasion of the human immune system. Which pathogen uses which strategy?
4. Cryptococcus neoformans: biology and virulence factors
5. Gene for adhesion in C. glabrata is discovered, how would you investigate its importance in adhesion, virulence, biofilms etc. Which techniques would you use. (He also asked how I would isolate compounds to treat it)

18 januari 2019

1. wat is PAL, functie, welke reactie katalyseert het, waarbij is het van belang? welke pathways betrokken?
2. wat is een appresorium en betrokken pathways
3. ALS zijn belangrijk, wat zijn het? waarin is ALS3 belangrijk? is het een goede target voor antifungale drugs?
4. aspergillus fumigatus virulence factors, wat ligt aan basis van resistentie in de natuur tegen azolen?
5. TF gevonden die in overexpressie zorgt voor geen vorming van filamenten in C albicans. Hoe zou je verder onderzoeken wat de moleculaire basis is, is het een goede drug target? Hoe design je een screen om een drug te vinden?

31 januari 2018 voormiddag

1. An essential, volatile oil derivative illustrates an antifungal activity in vitro. How would you try to reveal the mode of action of this compound? And how would you validate your results in vitro?
2. Explain Aspergillus fumigatus and what happens if this fungus is recognized by the host immune system
3. Explain ALS3 and its functions for Candida albicans. Would this compound be an interesting antifungal drug target? How would you investigate this? What research is still necessary?
4. Explain the most important signal transduction pathways that occur when a plant succesfully manages to recognize a pathogen.
5. Explain Fusicoccin and victorin, what are the differences. Explain their mode of action.
6. What are symbiotic interactions? Explain in detail the most important symbiotic interactions.

29 januari 2018 voormiddag

1. Explain Avr-R system with Cladosporium fulvum - tomato as an example + link with the zigzag-model
2. What is Victorine? How is its function investigated?
3. Explain different types of Mycorrhiza + how they exchange nutrients
4. Describe the molecular mechanism of morphogenesis in C. albicans
5. What are the major classes of antifungal drugs? Describe mechanism of action and resistance
6. Explain the virulence factors of Aspergillus fumigatus? Why are healthy people not infected by A. fumigatus? How would you investigate whether a protein is important in virulence or not? How would you search for a drug against this a protein (if it is involved in virulence)?

21 januari 2018 voormiddag

1. Explain all types of Mycorrhiza
2. Explain toxin types and give 1 example of both
3. Fully explain SA signalling
4. Simmilarities and differences of Histoplasma and Coccidioides
5. A new gene in Candida glabrata has been found in gene expression that plays a large roll in biofilms. How would you research this?
6. Candida albicans recognition at endothelial cells and immunity

31 januari 2017 voormiddag

1. histoplasma capsulatum and coccudioides immitis. What have these two pathogens in common? What are the known virulence factors? How can you treat such an infection?
2. Explain Immune response against a Candida albicans ephitilial invasion. How would you study this? Can this specific host-pathogen interaction be targeted by compounds? How would you identify these compounds?
3. How is morphogenesis regulated in Candida Albicans?
4. What are the different types of toxins that a plant uses? Give an example of each and explain their function.
5. What is an appressorium? Explain its function.
6. Explain how carbon is translocated in plant-mycorrhiza. How would you investigate this?

30 januari 2017 voormiddag

1. The first technique that was used to delete a gene in C. albicans was the URA-blaster cassette. How does that work. What are the problems with this method (position effect)? What are the currently used methods?
2. Biofilm formation by C. albicans is a major problem in hospitals. What are the different stages of biofilm developtment? Which molecules are omportant during biofilm formation? How can this be investigated? What are the available methods to study biofilm formation? What would you do if you were asked to develop a novel antibiofilm molecule?
3. What is Cryptococcus neoformans and what are the most important virulence factors?
4. Describe the processes that can occur after initial contact between a fungus and a plant. How is the fungus able to penetrate the plant? Discuss the several forms of parasitism and pathogenesis that can occur and gice a schematic overview.
5. Discuss the possible outcomes of a host-pathogen interaction, comment on the immune system of the plant and give a schematic overview. What is gene for gene resistance? And how can we exploit this for resistance breeding?