Yen-Ping Hsueh
Complex Biological Interactions
Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen
IMPRS Faculty
Vita
- PhD, Duke University, USA (2008)
- Postdoctoral training, Duke University (2008-2010) and the California Institute of Technology (2010-2015)
- Assistant, Associate, and Full Research Fellow, Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan (2015-2024)
- Director at the MPI for Biology Tübingen (since 2024)
Research Interest
Carnivory has independently emerged in the kingdom of fungi. Within the major fungal lineages, Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, and Zygomycetes, multiple species have evolved unique strategies to prey on nematodes, Earth’s most abundant animals. Despite their fascinating biology, predatory fungi have been minimally explored at molecular and cellular levels. Over recent years, our department has been at the forefront of developing genetic models for two carnivorous fungi: the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotry oligospora from the Ascomycetes and the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus from the Basidiomycetes. Each employs distinct predatory strategies. In parallel, we leverage powerful genetics and diverse ancillary resources for Caenorhabditis elegans to study nematode’s interactions with fungal predators. In our systems, both fungi and nematodes are genetically tractable, enabling an in-depth analysis of interactions from both sides. We study these interactions employing integrative approaches such as genetic, genomic, chemical and biochemical analyses, cell biology, quantitative imaging and computational modelling. We aim to understand this cross-kingdom predator-prey interaction and co-evolution across scales in time and space.
Center: the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus.
Right: the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
Available PhD projects
- Project 1: Behavior and physiology of C. elegans responding to fungal predators
- Project 2: Genomic analyses of carnivorous fungi to study the evolution of predation in the fungal kingdom
- Project 3: Molecular mechanism of prey-sensing and trap development in the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora
- Project 4: The evolution and development of toxocyst in the Pleurotus mushrooms
Selected Reading
- Kuo CY, Tay RJ, Lin HC, Juan SC, Vidal-Diez de Ulzurrun G, Chang YC, Hoki J, Schroeder FC and Hsueh YP. (2024).The nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora detects prey pheromones via G protein-coupled receptors. Nature Microbiology. doi: 10.1038/s41564-024-01679-w
- Lin HC, de Ulzurrun GV, Chen SA, Yang CT, Tay RJ ... Hsueh YP. (2023). Key processes required for the different stages of fungal carnivory by a nematode-trapping fungus. PLoS Biology. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002400
- Lee CH, Lee YY, Chang YC, Pon WL, Lee SP, Wali N, Nakazawa T, Honda Y, Shie JJ and Hsueh YP. (2023). A carnivorous mushroom paralyzes and kills nematodes via a volatile ketone. Science Advances. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ade4809
- Yang CT, Vidal-Diez de Ulzurrun G, Gonçalves AP, Lin HC ... Hsueh YP. (2020). Natural diversity in the predatory behavior facilitates the establishment of a robust model strain for nematode-trapping fungi. PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1919726117
- Lee CH, Chang HW, Yang CT, Wali N, Shie JJ and Hsueh YP. (2020). Sensory cilia as the Achilles heel of nematodes when attacked by carnivorous mushrooms. PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1918473117