Nicolas Corradi
University of Ottawa
Nicolas Corradi started his scientific career studying biology at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. He then went on to do a PhD, studying genome evolution on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Following his PhD, Nicolas received two consecutive postdoctoral fellowships from the Swiss National Foundation to work at the University of British Columbia, Canada, on the evolutionary genomics of intracellular parasites of animals called Microsporidia. It was here that Nicolas further developed his interest in genome analysis, which he applied to understand the biology of AMF and Microsporidia in his first academic PI position at the University of Ottawa, Canada. During 13 successful years as PI, Nicolas helped establish an internationally renowned research team studying microbial genomics and evolution of prominent plant symbionts and ubiquitous animal pathogens, receiving a Fellowship from the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) and a University Chair in Microbial Genomics
Abstract:
"From chaos comes order”: The genetics and nuclear biology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Nicolas Corradi
University of Ottawa
The genetics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been notoriously difficult to assess due to their perpetual multinucleated state, obligate plant biotrophy, and lack of observable sexual reproduction. Here, I will present recent collaborative work that combines genomics, single nucleus analysis and chromatin conformation capture, and discuss how this work has reshaped our understanding of AMF genetics, taxonomy and (para)sexual potential within/across natural ecosystems.
The genetics of AMF are now finally resolved. In particular, it is now clear that AMF are able to exchange nuclei and undergo "cryptic sex" like other multinucleate fungi, These findings now warrant further investigations on how these patterns can affect natural ecosystems, particularly following fungal inoculations.