What question did this study set out to answer?

Determine whether intimate interactions with soil bacteria can induce silent secondary metabolism gene clusters in the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans.

August 6, 2009Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesOpen Access

Intimate bacterial–fungal interaction triggers biosynthesis of archetypal polyketides in Aspergillus nidulans

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Authors

VSVolker SchroeckhLeibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie e. V. - Hans-Knöll-Institut (HKI)KSKirstin ScherlachLeibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie e. V. - Hans-Knöll-Institut (HKI)HNHans‐Wilhelm NützmannUniversity of Exeter

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Implication

Cocultivation experiments reveal that physical bacterial contact activates silent polyketide genes in Aspergillus nidulans, suggesting tactile cues drive cryptic microbial metabolism.

Key Points

Determine whether intimate interactions with soil bacteria can induce silent secondary metabolism gene clusters in the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans.
Cocultivated Aspergillus nidulans with 58 soil-dwelling actinomycete strains under laboratory conditions.
Profiled gene expression changes using secondary metabolism microarrays, full-genome microarrays, Northern blotting, and quantitative RT-PCR.
Used physical barrier dialysis assays, electron microscopy, and targeted gene knockouts to assess contact dependence and identify the activated biosynthetic cluster.
Direct physical contact between bacterial and fungal mycelia was strictly required to activate silent secondary metabolite clusters, with no activation observed across dialysis membranes.
Targeted gene deletion identified a polyketide synthase cluster responsible for producing orsellinic acid, lecanoric acid, and the cathepsin K inhibitors F-9775A and F-9775B.
Phylogenetic analysis revealed that orthologs of the activated polyketide synthase are widely distributed across major fungal lineages and lichen-forming mycobionts.

Cite This Study

Schroeckh et al. (2009) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69dc6c310de68e8319e52ebf https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0901870106

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Implication

Cocultivation experiments reveal that physical bacterial contact activates silent polyketide genes in Aspergillus nidulans, suggesting tactile cues drive cryptic microbial metabolism.

Intimate bacterial–fungal interaction triggers biosynthesis of archetypal polyketides in Aspergillus nidulans

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Key Points

Cite This Study

Intimate bacterial–fungal interaction triggers biosynthesis of archetypal polyketides in Aspergillus nidulans

Discussion

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Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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