Antibacterial diphenyl ether production induced by co-culture of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus.

Fungi are a rich source of secondary metabolites with potent biological activities. Co-culturing a fungus with another microorganism has drawn much attention as a practical method for stimulating fungal secondary metabolism. However, in most cases, the molecular mechanisms underlying the activation of secondary metabolite production in co-culture are poorly understood. To elucidate such a mechanism, in this study, we established a model fungal-fungal co-culture system, composed of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. In the co-culture of A. nidulans and A. fumigatus, production of antibacterial diphenyl ethers was enhanced. Transcriptome analysis by RNA-sequencing showed that the co-culture activated expression of siderophore biosynthesis genes in A. fumigatus and two polyketide biosynthetic gene clusters (the ors and cic clusters) in A. nidulans. Gene disruption experiments revealed that the ors cluster is responsible for diphenyl ether production in the co-culture. Interestingly, the ors cluster was previously reported to be upregulated by co-culture of A. nidulans with the bacterium Streptomyces rapamycinicus; orsellinic acid was the main product of the cluster in that co-culture. In other words, the main product of the ors cluster was different in fungal-fungal and bacterial-fungal co-culture. The genes responsible for biosynthesis of the bacterial- and fungal-induced polyketides were deduced using a heterologous expression system in Aspergillus oryzae. The molecular genetic mechanisms that trigger biosynthesis of two different types of compounds in A. nidulans in response to the fungus and the bacterium were demonstrated, which provides an insight into complex secondary metabolic response of fungi to microorganisms. KEY POINTS: • Co-culture of two fungal species triggered antibiotic diphenyl ether production. • The co-culture affected expression levels of several genes for secondary metabolism. • Gene cluster essential for induction of the antibiotics production was determined.

A new polycipivirus identified in Colobopsis shohki.

A new polycipivirus was identified in the arboreal ant Colobopsis shohki. The viral RNA was 11,855 nt in length with five 5'-proximal open reading frames (ORFs) encoding structural proteins and a long 3' ORF encoding the replication polyprotein. The protein sequences of these ORFs had significant similarity to those of the polycipiviruses Lasius niger virus 1 and Solenopsis invicta virus 2. The results of phylogenetic analysis and its genome organization suggested that this virus belongs to the genus Sopolycivirus in the family Polycipiviridae. The name "Colobopsis shohki virus 1" (CshV1) is proposed for the new virus.

Magnaporthe oryzae chrysovirus 1 strain D confers growth inhibition to the host fungus and exhibits multiform viral structural proteins.

A Japanese isolate of Magnaporthe oryzae is infected by Magnaporthe oryzae chrysovirus 1-D (MoCV1-D), which is classified in cluster II of the family Chrysoviridae. The genome of MoCV1-D consists of five dsRNAs. dsRNAs 1-4 show high identity with those of related MoCV1 viruses, whereas dsRNA5 shows relatively low identity and is sometimes deleted during virus propagation. MoCV1-D causes growth inhibition of its host fungus, and the protein encoded by its dsRNA4 impairs cell growth when expressed in yeast cells. It also causes abnormal pigmentation and colony albinization, and we showed that these phenotypes are associated with reduced accumulation of the melanin biosynthesis intermediate scylatone. MoCV1-D exhibits multiform viral structural proteins during prolonged culture. The original host isolate is co-infected with MoCV1-D, a victorivirus, and a partitivirus, and these mycoviruses are detected in cell-free supernatant fractions after prolonged liquid culturing. Hyphal fusion experiments demonstrated that MoCV1-D is transmissible via anastomosis.