Bacteria-triggered Activation of Fungal Silent Gene Clusters and Impact of Produced Compounds on Microorganisms (B02)

• Subject Area: Metabolism, Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms ; Plant Biochemistry and Biophysics ; Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology ; Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems
• Term: since 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 239748522

We discovered a tripartite microbial interaction between the bacterium Streptomyces iranensis, the fungus Aspergillus nidulans and the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. This interaction is determined by the bacterial azalomycin F. It induces the activation of the silent orsellinic acid gene cluster in A. nidulans and the fungus protects C. reinhardtii from killing by azalomycin F. Project B02 aims at the elucidation of (i) the targeted release of azalomycin F towards A. nidulans and C. reinhardtii, (ii) the mechanism underlying the activation of fungal ors genes by azalomycin F and (iii) the identification of chemical mediators triggering azalomycin F release and attracting C. reinhardtii to A. nidulans.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1127: Chemical Mediators in Complex Biosystems (ChemBioSys)
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Axel Brakhage; Professor Dr. Thorsten Heinzel