mBio (Jun 2021)
The Termite Fungal Cultivar <i>Termitomyces</i> Combines Diverse Enzymes and Oxidative Reactions for Plant Biomass Conversion
- Felix Schalk,
- Cene Gostinčar,
- Nina B. Kreuzenbeck,
- Benjamin H. Conlon,
- Elisabeth Sommerwerk,
- Patrick Rabe,
- Immo Burkhardt,
- Thomas Krüger,
- Olaf Kniemeyer,
- Axel A. Brakhage,
- Nina Gunde-Cimerman,
- Z. Wilhelm de Beer,
- Jeroen S. Dickschat,
- Michael Poulsen,
- Christine Beemelmanns
Affiliations
- Felix Schalk
- Group of Chemical Biology of Microbe-Host Interactions, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Jena, Germany
- Cene Gostinčar
- ORCiD
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Nina B. Kreuzenbeck
- Group of Chemical Biology of Microbe-Host Interactions, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Jena, Germany
- Benjamin H. Conlon
- ORCiD
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Elisabeth Sommerwerk
- Group of Chemical Biology of Microbe-Host Interactions, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Jena, Germany
- Patrick Rabe
- Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Immo Burkhardt
- Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Thomas Krüger
- ORCiD
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Jena, Germany
- Olaf Kniemeyer
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Jena, Germany
- Axel A. Brakhage
- ORCiD
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Jena, Germany
- Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Z. Wilhelm de Beer
- ORCiD
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa
- Jeroen S. Dickschat
- Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Michael Poulsen
- ORCiD
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Christine Beemelmanns
- ORCiD
- Group of Chemical Biology of Microbe-Host Interactions, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Jena, Germany
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.03551-20
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 12,
no. 3
Abstract
Fungus-growing termites have optimized the decomposition of recalcitrant plant biomass to access valuable nutrients by engaging in a tripartite symbiosis with complementary contributions from a fungal mutualist and a codiversified gut microbiome. This complex symbiotic interplay makes them one of the most successful and important decomposers for carbon cycling in Old World ecosystems.
