Rush, T. A., et al. 2022. mSystems
Lipo-Chitooligosaccharides Induce Specialized Fungal Metabolite Profiles That Modulate Bacterial Growth
Tomás A Rush, Joanna Tannous, Matt J. Lane, Muralikrishnan Gopalakrishnan Meena, Alyssa A. Carrell, Jacob J. Golan, Milton T. Drott, Sylvain Cottaz, Sébastien Fort, Jean-Michel Ané, Nancy P. Keller, Dale A. Pelletier, Daniel A. Jacobson, David Kainer, Paul E. Abraham, Richard J. Giannone, and Jesse L. Labbé
December 1, 2022, mSystems; DOI:10.1128/msystems.01052-22
Abstract
Lipo-chitooligosaccharides (LCOs) are historically known for their role as microbial-derived signaling molecules that shape plant symbiosis with beneficial rhizobia or mycorrhizal fungi. Recent studies showing that LCOs are widespread across the fungal kingdom have raised questions about the ecological function of these compounds in organisms that do not form symbiotic relationships with plants. To elucidate the ecological function of these compounds, we investigate the metabolomic response of the ubiquitous human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus to LCOs. Our metabolomics data revealed that exogenous application of various types of LCOs to A. fumigatus resulted in significant shifts in the fungal metabolic profile, with marked changes in the production of specialized metabolites known to mediate ecological interactions. Using network analyses, we identify specific types of LCOs with the most significant effect on the abundance of known metabolites. Extracts of several LCO-induced metabolic profiles significantly impact the growth rates of diverse bacterial species. These findings suggest that LCOs may play an important role in the competitive dynamics of non-plant-symbiotic fungi and bacteria. This study identifies specific metabolomic profiles induced by these ubiquitously produced chemicals and creates a foundation for future studies into the potential roles of LCOs as modulators of interkingdom competition.
Citation
Rush TA, Tannous J, Lane MJ, Meena MG, Carrell AA, Golan JJ, Drott MT, Cottaz S, Fort S, Ané J-M, Keller NP, Pelletier DA, Jacobson DA, Kainer D, Abraham PE, Giannone RJ, and Labbé, JL. Lipo-Chitooligosaccharides Induce Specialized Fungal Metabolite Profiles That Modulate Bacterial Growth. mSystems, 0(0), e01052-01022. https://doi.org/doi:10.1128/msystems.01052-22.
