Aspergillus nidulans synthesize insect juvenile hormones upon expression of a heterologous regulatory protein and in response to grazing by Drosophila melanogaster larvae

PLoS One. 2013 Aug 26;8(8):e73369. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073369. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Secondary metabolites are known to serve a wide range of specialized functions including communication, developmental control and defense. Genome sequencing of several fungal model species revealed that the majority of predicted secondary metabolite related genes are silent in laboratory strains, indicating that fungal secondary metabolites remain an underexplored resource of bioactive molecules. In this study, we combine heterologous expression of regulatory proteins in Aspergillus nidulans with systematic variation of growth conditions and observe induced synthesis of insect juvenile hormone-III and methyl farnesoate. Both compounds are sesquiterpenes belonging to the juvenile hormone class. Juvenile hormones regulate developmental and metabolic processes in insects and crustaceans, but have not previously been reported as fungal metabolites. We found that feeding by Drosophila melanogaster larvae induced synthesis of juvenile hormone in A. nidulans indicating a possible role of juvenile hormone biosynthesis in affecting fungal-insect antagonisms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aspergillus nidulans / genetics*
  • Base Sequence
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • DNA Primers
  • Drosophila melanogaster / growth & development*
  • Feeding Behavior*
  • Insect Proteins / genetics
  • Insect Proteins / metabolism*
  • Juvenile Hormones / genetics
  • Juvenile Hormones / physiology*
  • Larva / metabolism
  • Larva / physiology*
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • Insect Proteins
  • Juvenile Hormones

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Danish Research Agency for Technology and Production, grant # 09-064967, and the Research School for Biotechnology at the faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.