Ubiquitous bacterial polyketides induce cross-kingdom microbial interactions

Abstract

Although the interaction of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms is critical for the functioning of ecosystems, knowledge of the processes driving microbial interactions within communities is in its infancy. We previously reported that the soil bacterium Streptomyces iranensis specifically triggers the production of natural products in the fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Here, we discovered that arginine-derived polyketides serve as the bacterial signals for this induction. Arginine-derived polyketide-producing bacteria occur world wide. These producer bacteria and the fungi that decode and respond to this signal can be co-isolated from the same soil sample. Arginine-derived polyketides impact surrounding microorganisms both directly as well as indirectly, by inducing the production of natural products in fungi that further influence the composition of microbial consortia.One-Sentence SummaryUbiquitous bacterial polyketides are universal components of the chemical network for microbial communication

Turonicin A, an Antifungal Linear Polyene Polyketide from an Australian Streptomyces sp.

“…11 In addition to exhibiting antifungal and antibacterial activities, linear polyene polyketides have been implicated in mediating various forms of interkingdom communication, including activating signaling involved in bacterial biofilm formation 12 and inducing fungal natural product biosynthesis. 13 As part of our ongoing exploration of biologically active natural products from Australian microorganisms, we recovered bacterial strain MST S1). A methanolic extract of the yellow-colored strain following cultivation on ISP2 for 7 days possessed noteworthy antifungal activity against Candida albicans.…”

“…11 In addition to exhibiting antifungal and antibacterial activities, linear polyene polyketides have been implicated in mediating various forms of interkingdom communication, including activating signaling involved in bacterial biofilm formation 12 and inducing fungal natural product biosynthesis. 13 As part of our ongoing exploration of biologically active natural products from Australian microorganisms, we recovered bacterial strain MST-123921 from a soil sample collected on the banks of the Turon River in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA, gyrA, gyrB, dnaK, prcA, rpoB, and tuf1 gene sequences of M S T - 1 2 3 9 2 S1).…”