Multi-scale insights into attack and defense strategies in filamentous fungi: from genomes to interspecies interactions
Filamentous fungi are highly diverse microorganisms found in a wide range of environments. They play essential roles in ecosystems as decomposers, plant associates, and competitors of other microorganisms, and are also important sources of antibiotics, enzymes, and other valuable natural products. To survive in complex environments, fungi have evolved diverse chemical and cellular strategies to obtain nutrients, interact with other organisms, and compete with or defend themselves against potential threats. Fungal secondary metabolites are an important part of these strategies. Fungi produce chemically diverse compounds that can affect other organisms, and fungal natural products have contributed to the discovery of important medicines. However, the genomes of many filamentous fungi contain numerous biosynthetic gene clusters whose functions and products remain unknown. Some pathways are only activated under specific environmental conditions, leaving much of the chemical potential of fungi unexplored. Fungi also engage in diverse interactions with other microorganisms. These interactions can involve coordinated changes in gene expression, metabolism, chemical production, and cellular structure. Recent advances in multi-omics technologies and high-resolution imaging provide new opportunities to investigate these processes across biological scales. This thesis explores attack and defense strategies in filamentous fungi, from genomes and biosynthetic pathways to interspecies interactions. Endophytic fungi associated with the medicinal plant Vinca minor were investigated for their biosynthetic and antibacterial potential, while fungal interactions were examined to uncover molecular, metabolic, and cellular responses associated with competition and adaptation. Together, these studies provide new insights into the attack and defense strategies of filamentous fungi during interspecies interactions.