The Institute's Annals

1993

Johannes Wöstemeyer , formerly 'Institut für Genbiologische Forschung GmbH', Berlin, comes to Jena. Research projects on sex and parasitism in Mucorales and on phytopathogens are continued. Our work focusses on horizontal gene transfer from the mycopathogen Parasitella parasitica to its hosts (Absidia glauca and many other mucoralean fungi). Additional programmes on AM fungi and on fungal strain typing are established at the student level.

1994

Anke Burmester follows and gets a position as university assistant. She continues her research in molecular biology of Mucor-like fungi (genes from the biosynthetic pathway to trisporic acid, a general sex hormone of Mucorales).

1995

After passing her final PhD examination with an excellent work on molecular strain typing of fungi from the genus Fusarium (honoured with the faculty award for the best PhD exam of the year) Kerstin Voigt stays as PostDoc with teaching responsibilities. She builds up a group for molecular analysis of phytopathogens (molecular diagnosis) and for molecular evolution of fungi (Mucorales).

1995 - 1998

Anke Wöstemeyer comes to Jena and works for three years on genetics of zygomycetes and AM fungi. Her research at the organismic level, especially on isolation and characterization of Absidia mutants with defects in the sexual differentiation programme proves to be of enormous value for developing a 'molecular physiology' of sex in mucoralean fungi.

1995

The first class room for practical courses in microbiology (advanced students), three small laboratories and the first room for our fungal strain collection (Pilzkulturensammlung (PKS) Jena/Weimar) are reconstructed.

1995

The fungal strain collection (PKS Jena) starts to work in Jena, with new strains and novel techniques.

1996 - 1999

Claudia Eggert (formerly Athens/Georgia) joins us and works on lignocellulose degradation by basidiomycetes (Pycnoporus cinnabarinus) at the biochemical and at the genetic level.

1996/97

Habilitation of Anke Burmester. Her stdies at the molecular genetic level of sexual differentiation in various zygomycetes form a sound basis for many fruitful projects

1997

Our safety laboratories (radioisotope laboratory, S1 and S2 facilities) for cloning and expression studies are reconstructed. For the first time we are able to work under legally approved and scientifically competitive laboratory conditions.

1999

Kerstin Voigt is now in charge of our fungal strain collection (formerly: Günther Arnold). Although she is in Peoria/Illinois during nearly complete '99, we feel that we will reach at a major breakthrough in understanding fungal phylogeny by giving the collection to someone, who is equally well trained in molecular and organismic biology. The former PKS Weimar (Pilzkulturensammlung Weimar) is started under a new name Fungal Reference Centre (FRC) Jena with a completely new concept. At the collection level we develop into a reference centre for research and industry and intend to guarantee strain identities by molecular fingerprinting. At the scientific level we have now a strong department for 'Molecular phylogeny of fungi'. We hope to solve the tremendous financial and personel problems in the future despite of the severe restrictions in resources by the university. Finally the university reconstructs rooms for storing our living cultures. We will get along with space probably for the next 10 years.

1999

Christine Schimek starts to work on the physiology of sexual differentiation in Mucor-like fungi. Finally sexual differentiation can be looked at interdisciplinarily by genetic and by physiological approaches.

1999

The class room for teaching practical courses in basic microbiology is reconstructed. We have now a capacity of 36 students and can fulfill our teaching responsibilities at the beginner level in not more than 5 courses per year! Nearly 2/3 of the house are now reconstructed. We still have major difficulties with safety regulations, but feel quite confident that we will get along over the years.

2000

We can finally give our house in Weimar, which harboured the fungal strain strain collection for several decades, back to the university. Since Günther Arnold retired in January 1999, there has been no personel in that building. Unfortunately the faculty can offer no room for our herbarium. We fear that valuable material will be lost due to completely inadequate storage (in the department for waste disposal! - no joke!). Of course there is also no chance now to work scientifically with the material.

2000

Anke Burmester signs another contract for additional 4 years as university lecturer.

2005

Christine Schimek has submitted her thesis for the Habilitation. Her contributions to the mechanisms of gravitropism in Phycomyces blakesleeanus and the work on communication in zygomyctes by various trisporoids are milestones on pur way to understand developmental genetics of fungi at the molecular level