{
  "id": 8114728,
  "title": "Newfound fungal nutrient-sensing mechanism could advance biofuels and disease control",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/newfound-fungal-nutrient-sensing-mechanism-could-advance-biofuels-and",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-17T22:20:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-newfound-fungal-nutrient-mechanism-advance.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new study published in PLOS Biology has uncovered a mechanism that allows fungi to sense and respond to nutrients in their environment. This breakthrough could lead to advancements in biofuels and help combat fungal pathogens. The research focused on a single-celled fungus called Rhodotorula toruloides, specifically a transcription factor called Cbr1. Cbr1 regulates genes responsible for breaking down complex sugars into glucose, making the carbon more readily available as food. By activating these genes, Cbr1 bypasses a negative feedback loop that would otherwise suppress genes necessary for utilizing complex sugars. This discovery is crucial for understanding environmental nutrient cycling and identifying targets for treating diseases caused by pathogenic fungi. While the fungus studied is not a serious pathogen, many fungi pose threats to both plants and animals. Additionally, R. toruloides has potential as a biofuel source, as it can accumulate up to 70% of its biomass as lipids, which can be directed toward producing other useful molecules. The fungus can also feed on carbon found in plant tissue, with glucose being its preferred carbon source. However, fungi tend to repress genes that utilize other carbon sources requiring more energy to break down. The study found that Cbr1 activates genes that cleave cellobiose (a sugar made of two glucose molecules) apart while inhibiting the mechanism that would normally suppress the genes needed to utilize cellobiose. This action breaks the negative feedback loop, allowing the cell to continuously access carbon sources even when they are being broken down into glucose. Understanding these mechanisms is vital for future metabolic engineering in green biotechnology and controlling fungal infections.",
  "summary": "Scientists have taken a step toward a better understanding of how fungi sense and respond to nutrients in the environment, which is critical for engineering fungi for green technologies and combating fungal pathogens and their resistance to treatments.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}