Cellular compartmentalization of secondary metabolites in fungi

• Applicant: Dr. Slavica Janevska, since 3/2024
• Subject Area: Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology ; Medical Microbiology and Mycology, Hygiene, Molecular Infection Biology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 453246485

Fungal secondary metabolites (SMs) play a considerable role in mediating microbial interaction in the environment. They are produced to improve fungal fitness and many different SMs are extracellularly secreted to act as scavengers, protectants, or even weapons against potential competitors; that’s why, they are considered as treasure trove for new active molecules. The overall understanding of SM biosynthesis has increased significantly in the past decades. In particular, our comprehension of organisms, chemical variability, regulation, and genetic organization of biosynthetic gene clusters has been enhanced thanks to technical improvements in DNA sequencing. Conversely, we are just starting to understand the spatial / temporal regulation of SMs in fungi. It has been already reported that some enzymes involved in secondary metabolism are compartmentalized in fungal vesicles, including proteins involved in the biosynthesis of antibiotics and mycotoxins. We have observed that sphingolipid inhibitor mycotoxins, such as fumonisins, produced in the plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium verticillioides, and sphingofungins, from the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, are synthesized in specialized endosome derived organelles. Additionally, those endosomes are different for the already classified organelles such as peroxisomes and melanosomes. This implies that fungal SMs are highly regulated not only transcriptionally and translationally but also concerning their localization inside fungal cells. The aim of this proposal is to deeply understand mechanisms behind the organization and differentiation of organelles hosting SM biosynthetic pathways.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Vito Valiante, Ph.D., until 3/2024