Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Mari Torii-Karch

Fungal-Bacterial Interactions: The Genes Underlying Fungal Response to Bacterial Colonization

Fungal-bacterial interactions are abundant and come in many forms, from endosymbiotic to pathogenic. Surprisingly, these interactions at a molecular level, specifically receptor/signaling mechanisms, aren’t deeply studied. This summer, I will be using genetic editing tools and cell death assays to analyze many different genetic knockout strains of the model fungus Neurospora crassa in the hopes to identify the genetic underpinnings of fungal response to bacterial colonization.

Message To Sponsor

Thank you so much for all the support in helping me pursue research! This past year as really given me the chance to learn and grow both as a person, student, and researcher, and I'm excited for the opportunity to continue through this upcoming summer.