My name is Izwan Bharudin and I'm currently a lecturer at the School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, UKM. My current research is focused on the phytopathogenic fungus, Ganoderma boninense. It has been reported that this fungus is the main causing of Basal Stem Rot (BSR) in oil palm plantation, causing the economic loss of up to RM1.5 billion (~USD 500 million) annually. We are using the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology by integrating the whole genome and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) to understand the mechanisms of pathogenicity in G. boninense. Furthermore, comparative genomics was applied to decipher the regulatory code in this fungus. The underlying theme of this research is to understand the intricate interplay of gene expression that leads to fungal disease in oil palm plantation and pave the way for a new antifungal in the agricultural industry.
Besides, our research group also interested in the Glaciozyma antarctica, a psychrophilic yeast isolated from Antarctic sea ice. We have conducted the whole genome and transcriptome analysis to find the molecular basis of adaptation to different environmental conditions. A crucial part of this research is the identification of metabolic pathways and their key regulatory components to find mechanisms on how these organisms sense changes in environmental conditions. We hope this fundamental knowledge will help to interpret ecological and physiological tolerance of psychrophilic microbes under future temperature changes on Antarctic sea ice.
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