The project leader was the first author of the genome publication of four Aureobasidium pullulans varieties. The article was focused on (i) the presence and characteristics of genes involved in stress tolerance, especially to high salt concentrations that are well tolerated by Aureobasidium species; (ii) the presence of biotechnologically important genes and genes involved in the biotechnologically important traits of the species; (iii) the description of varieties as new species, based on the differences between the genomes. The achievement plays a large role in the successful continuation of the project. The genomic analyses enabled the identification of several genes later selected for testing in S. cerevisiae. Some of these genes proved to increase the tolerance of this yeast to salt or other osmolytes. The article was published in a scientific journal of the corresponding research field and attracted substantial attention (also due to the important role of Aureobasidium spp. in biotechnology, agriculture and medicine).
COBISS.SI-ID: 3173711