Publications


Damoo D, Kretschmer M, Lee CWJ, Herrfurth C, Feußner I, Heimel K, Kronstad JW. (2024) Herbicides as fungicides: Targeting heme biosynthesis in the maize pathogen Ustilago maydis. Mol Plant Pathol., in press

  • Sankaranarayanan S, Kwon S, Heimel K, Feldbrügge M. (2023) The RNA world of fungal pathogens. PLoS Pathog. 2023 Nov 30;19(11):e1011762. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011762. PMID: 38032970; PMCID: PMC10688622.

  • Sasse C, Bastakis E, Bakti F, Höfer AM, Zangl I, Schüller C, Köhler AM, Gerke J, Krappmann S, Finkernagel F, Harting R, Strauss J, Heimel K, Braus GH. (2023) Induction of Aspergillus fumigatus zinc cluster transcription factor OdrA/Mdu2 provides combined cellular responses for oxidative stress protection and multiple antifungal drug resistance. mBio. 2023 Nov 20:e0262823. doi: 10.1128/mbio.02628-23. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37982619

  • McCotter, Sean W., Matthias Kretschmer, Christopher W. J. Lee, Kai Heimel, and James W. Kronstad. (2023) The Monothiol Glutaredoxin Grx4 Influences Iron Homeostasis and Virulence in Ustilago maydis. Journal of Fungi 9, no. 11: 1112. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9111112

  • Bakti F, Stupperich H, Schmitt K, Valerius O, Köhler AM, Meister C, Strohdiek A, Harting R, Sasse C, Heimel K, Neumann P, Ficner R, Braus GH. (2023) Fungal COP9 signalosome assembly requires connection of two trimeric intermediates for integration of intrinsic deneddylase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Aug 29;120(35):e2305049120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2305049120. Epub 2023 Aug 21. PMID: 37603767

  • Maurus I, Harting R, Herrfurth C, Starke J, Nagel A, Mohnike L, Chen YY, Schmitt K, Bastakis E, Suss MT, Leonard M, Heimel K, Valerius O, Feussner I, Kronstad JW, Braus GH. (2023) Verticillium dahliae Vta3 promotes ELV1 virulence factor gene expression in xylem sap, but tames Mtf1-mediated late stages of fungus-plant interactions and microsclerotia formation. PLoS Pathog. 2023;19(1):e1011100. Epub 2023/01/31. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011100.

  • de la Torre A, Jurca A, Hoffmann K, Schmitz L, Heimel K, Kämper J, Pérez-Martín J. (2021) Robust Cre recombinase activity in the biotrophic smut fungus Ustilago maydis enables efficient conditional null mutants in planta, Genetics, 2021;, iyab152, https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyab152

  • Starke J, Harting R, Maurus I, Leonard M, Bremenkamp R, Heimel K, Kronstad JW, Braus GH (2021) Unfolded protein response and scaffold independent pheromone MAP kinase signalling control Verticillium dahliae growth, development and plant pathogenesis. J. Fungi 7: 305

  • Harting R, Heimel K. (2020) Genetics of the Unfolded Protein Response in Fungi
    In Benz JP, Schipper K (eds), The Mycota II, Genetics and Biotechnology, 3rd edn. Springer Press, Berlin Heidelberg New York Tokyo. P.49-76

  • Schmitz L, Schwier MA, Heimel K. Signal The Unfolded Protein Response Regulates Pathogenic Development of Ustilago maydis by Rok1-Dependent Inhibition of Mating-Type Signaling. mBio. 2019 Dec 17;10(6). pii: e02756-19. doi: 10.1128/mBio.02756-19.

  • Schmitz L, Kronstad JW, Heimel K. Conditional gene expression reveals stage-specific functions of the unfolded protein response in the Ustilago maydis-maize pathosystem.Mol Plant Pathol. 2019 Dec 3. doi: 10.1111/mpp.12893. [Epub ahead of print]

  • Pinter N., Hach CA., Hampel M., Rekhter D., Zienkiewicz K., Feussner I., Poehlein A., Daniel R., Finkernagel F. and Heimel K. Signal Peptide Peptidase activity connects the Unfolded Protein Response to Plant Defense Suppression by Ustilago maydis, PLoS Pathogens. 2019 Apr 18;15(4):e1007734. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007734. eCollection 2019 Apr.

  • Schmitz L, McCotter S, Kretschmer M, Kronstad JW, Heimel K. Transcripts and tumors: regulatory and metabolic programming during biotrophic phytopathogenesis. F1000Res. 2018 Nov 19;7. pii: F1000 Faculty Rev-1812. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.16404.1. eCollection 2018. Review.

  • Hampel M., Jakobi M., Schmitz L., Meyer U., Finkernagel F., Doehlemann G., Heimel K. Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) Regulator Cib1 Controls Expression of Genes Encoding Secreted Virulence Factors in Ustilago maydis. PloS one. 2016;11(4):e0153861. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153861.

  • Lo Presti L., Lopez Diaz C., Turra D., Di Pietro A., Hampel M., Heimel K., Kahmann R. A conserved co-chaperone is required for virulence in fungal plant pathogens. New Phytologist (2015).

  • Heimel K.: Unfolded protein response in filamentous fungi - Implications in biotechnology. Appl Mircobiol Biotechnol (2015).

  • Kellner N., Heimel K., Obhof T., Finkernagel F., Kämper J.: The SPF27 homologue Num1 connects splicing and kinesin 1-dependent cytoplasmic trafficking in Ustilago maydis. PLoS Genetics 10, e1004046 (2014) . Featured in Faculty of 1000 prime.

  • Heimel K., Freitag J., Hampel M., Ast J, Bölker M., Kämper J.: Crosstalk between the Unfolded Protein Response and Pathways That Regulate Pathogenic Development in Ustilago maydis. Plant Cell 25, 4262-4277 (2013)

  • Heimel K, Scherer M, Schuler D, Kämper J. (2010) The Ustilago maydis Clp1 Protein Orchestrates Pheromone and b-Dependent Signaling Pathways to Coordinate the Cell Cycle and Pathogenic Development. Plant Cell (8):2908-22.
    [download pdf]


  • Heimel K*, Scherer M*, Vranes M, Wahl R, Pothiratana C, Schuler D, Vincon V, Finkernagel F, Flor-Parra I, Kämper J. (2010) The transcription factor Rbf1 is the master regulator for b-mating type controlled pathogenic development in Ustilago maydis. PLoS Pathog. 2010 Aug 5;6(8). (*equal contribution)
    [download pdf]


  • Zahiri A*, Heimel K*, Wahl R, Rath M, Kämper J. (2010) The Ustilago maydis Forkhead Transcription Factor Fox1 Is Involved in the Regulation of Genes Required for the Attenuation of Plant Defenses During Pathogenic Development. Mol Plant Microbe Interact. (9):1118-29. (*equal contribution)
    [download pdf]


  • Scherer, M., Heimel, K., Starke, V., Kämper, J. (2006) The Clp1 protein is required for clamp formation and pathogenic development of Ustilago maydis. Plant Cell 18: 2388-2401.
    [download pdf]