Welcome to the Glass Lab

We're based in the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology at the University of California, Berkeley.  Our lab is interested in cell specialization, communication and nonself recognition, all crucial mechanisms in microbial organisms such as filamentous fungi.

Some of our research interests are focused on understanding the signaling mechanisms that mediate cell fusion and the nonself recognition mechanisms that occur before and after fusion.   The experimental tractability and availability of a large number of mutants in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa makes it a superb system to delineate both fungal-specific and general mechanisms of cell communication and nonself recognition.

We use a combination of molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, genomics and bioinformatics to investigate these subjects.   Recently we have begun to study how plant cell wall degradation is orchestrated by fungi, and how fungal enzymes are secreted. Our long term goal for this project is to significantly improve the efficiency of plant biomass degradation by fungi. Neurospora crassa is a model cellulolytic fungus, thus we are also using this species for these studies.

LOUISE GLASS SIGNS HERSELF INTO THE REGISTRY OF MEMBERSHIP OF THE NAS

Louise Glass signed the "Registry of Membership" book at the 2022 signing ceremony at the NAS in Washington DC. The Glass lab members are very proud to see Louise Glass signing the "Registry of Membership" book at the 2022 signing ceremony at the NAS in Washington DC. Louise was elected into the national academy of science in 2021 for her contributions to fungal genetics such as the regulation of networks associated with plant biomass deconstruction by fungi, molecular mechanisms of fungal communication, and programmed cell death.

Read more about LOUISE GLASS SIGNS HERSELF INTO THE REGISTRY OF MEMBERSHIP OF THE NAS

Louise Glass has been elected to join the National Academy of Science (NAS). We congratulated Louise on this outstanding achievement.

Louise Glass, together with Barbara Baker and David Card, Faculty members of UC Berkeley, have been elected to join the National Academy of Science (NAS). (https://news.berkeley.edu/2021/04/26/three-berkeley-faculty-elected-to-the-national-academy-of-sciences/). The National Academy of Science (NAS), established in 1863, is a private, non-profit society of distinguished scholars. Members are elected to the National Academy of Sciences to recognize their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Membership is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science and is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive. (http://www.nasonline.org). The lab members of the Glass lab congratulate her, and we are very proud to be part of her working group and be under her mentorship.

Read more about Louise Glass has been elected to join the National Academy of Science (NAS). We congratulated Louise on this outstanding achievement.

How does a fungus senses and responds to different carbon sources?

A recent article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (https://www.pnas.org/content/117/11/6003.long) reports on how a fungus senses and responds to different carbon sources, making the most nutritious choices for utilization of a plant biomass buffet. The findings reported in this article are the fruit of a collaborative project between the laboratories of PMB faculty member N. Louise Glass, Igor Grigoriev and Ronan O’Malley, members of the DOE Joint Genome Institute, and Philipp Benz, of the Technical University of Munich. The article reports the application of a new technology for fungi, termed DNA-affinity purification and sequencing (DAP-seq) and transcriptional profiling to determine how fungi sense simple to complex carbohydrates. Fungal organisms are used in the biotechnology sector to produce enzymes, proteins, and other chemicals for production of biofuels, and bioproducts for the textile and food industry. Thus, understanding how fungi decide what to eat and when will enable novel engineering approaches to efficiently harness these organisms to sustainably produce bioproducts. The work described in this study was funded by the Energy Biosciences Institute, a Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a Joint Genome Institute Community Science Program grant (CSP 982), and funds from the Fred E. Dickinson Chair of Wood Science and Technology. See additional articles from LBNL and JGI at https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2020/06/03/how-fungi-choose-food/ and https://jgi.doe.gov/how-filamentous-fungi-sense-food-neurospora/.