Fungal hyphae colonization by Bacillus subtilis relies on biofilm matrix components
Bodil Kjeldgaard,
Stevanus A. Listian,
Valliyammai Ramaswamhi,
Anne Richter,
Heiko T. Kiesewalter,
Ákos T. Kovács
Affiliations
Bodil Kjeldgaard
Bacterial Interactions and Evolution Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Stevanus A. Listian
Bacterial Interactions and Evolution Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Valliyammai Ramaswamhi
Terrestrial Biofilms Group, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
Anne Richter
Bacterial Interactions and Evolution Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark; Terrestrial Biofilms Group, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
Heiko T. Kiesewalter
Bacterial Interactions and Evolution Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Ákos T. Kovács
Bacterial Interactions and Evolution Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark; Terrestrial Biofilms Group, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Corresponding author. Bacterial Interactions and Evolution Group, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
Bacteria interact with their environment including microbes and higher eukaryotes. The ability of bacteria and fungi to affect each other are defined by various chemical, physical and biological factors. During physical association, bacterial cells can directly attach and settle on the hyphae of various fungal species. Such colonization of mycelia was proposed to be dependent on biofilm formation by the bacteria, but the essentiality of the biofilm matrix was not represented before. Here, we demonstrate that secreted biofilm matrix components of the soil-dwelling bacterium, Bacillus subtilis are essential for the establishment of a dense bacterial population on the hyphae of the filamentous black mold fungus, Aspergillus niger and the basidiomycete mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. We further illustrate that these matrix components can be shared among various mutants highlighting the community shaping impact of biofilm formers on bacteria-fungi interactions.
