Yanfen Cheng is a Professor at the National Center for International Research on Animal Gut Nutrition, Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU), Nanjing, China.

At NAU, Yanfen’s research group (pictured below) mainly focuses on the interaction of anaerobic fungi and methanogens in the process of fiber degradation, as well as their role in hydrogen production and consumption in the rumen. More specifically, her research group has isolated and characterized more than 30 anaerobic fungus-methanogen co-cultures from the rumen and feces of different herbivores.

Yanfen’s group has sequenced the genome, transcriptome, and proteome of the anaerobic fungus Pecoramyces ruminantium F1 grown in the presence/absence of the methanogen Methanobrevibacter sp. This research revealed significant stimulation of metabolism in the hydrogenosome of the fungus, and significantly higher fiber-degrading enzyme expression by the co-culture compared to the fungal culture alone (see further details in the associated publication here).

Her team also explores the biotechnological potential of anaerobic fungi, encompassing their bioaugmentation capabilities, the production of robust cellulose- and hemicellulose-degrading free enzymes and assembly enzymes, detoxification of low-quality feed, and the generation of methane, ethanol, and other valuable bioproducts.