Toxin-Producing Endosymbionts Shield Pathogenic Fungus against Micropredators
Ingrid Richter, Silvia Radosa, Zoltán Cseresnyés, Iuliia Ferling, Hannah Büttner, Sarah P. Niehs, Ruman Gerst, Kirstin Scherlach, Marc Thilo Figge, Falk Hillmann, Christian Hertweck
Abstract
residing within the hyphae of R. microsporus. We show that this bacterial secondary metabolite is utilized by the fungal host to successfully fend off fungivorous protozoan and metazoan predators and thus identified a fundamentally new function of this infamous cytotoxic compound. This endosymbiont-dependent predator defense illustrates an unusual strategy employed by fungi that has broader implications, since it may serve as a model for understanding how animal predation acts as an evolutionary driving force to maintain endosymbionts in nonpathogenic fungi.
Topics & Concepts
BiologyFungusMicrobiologyBotanyNematode management and characterization studiesInsect symbiosis and bacterial influencesMycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions