Welcome to the Lorrain Lab — Fungal regulatory genomics & evolution.

Fungi are an immensely diverse kingdom, occupying nearly every ecological niche, from decomposers to devastating crop pathogens. They exhibit striking diversity in genome size, architecture, and regulation, yet remain underrepresented as model systems for understanding how eukaryotic genomes are structured and controlled. Our lab address this central question: how have fungi evolved genome organization and regulatory plasticity to diversify and thrive across environments and hosts? For this, we combine experimental and computational genomics to link mechanism to evolution. Current projects span transposable-element dynamics and genome expansion, population-level adaptation, and 3D genome architecture and evolution.

Current projects spans transposable element dynamics and genome expansion, chromatin states and regulatory networks, and population-level adaptation to hosts and climate. We combine comparative genomics with field-based and experimental population genomics, transcriptomics, and 3D genome mapping. Our main models include plant pathogens, where we integrate field and laboratory data to connect genome architecture to infection, host specialization, and environmental resilience. Our goal is a comparative, mechanistic framework to explore fungal genomic and phenotypic plasticity.