Dentigerumycin: a bacterial mediator of an ant-fungus symbiosis

TY - JOUR

T1 - Dentigerumycin: a bacterial mediator of an ant-fungus symbiosis

AU - Oh, Dong-Chan

AU - Poulsen, Michael

AU - Currie, Cameron R

AU - Clardy, Jon

PY - 2009/6/1

Y1 - 2009/6/1

N2 - Fungus-growing ants engage in mutualistic associations with both the fungus they cultivate for food and actinobacteria (Pseudonocardia spp.) that produce selective antibiotics to defend that fungus from specialized fungal parasites. We have analyzed one such system at the molecular level and found that the bacterium associated with the ant Apterostigma dentigerum produces dentigerumycin, a cyclic depsipeptide with highly modified amino acids, to selectively inhibit the associated parasitic fungus (Escovopsis sp.).

AB - Fungus-growing ants engage in mutualistic associations with both the fungus they cultivate for food and actinobacteria (Pseudonocardia spp.) that produce selective antibiotics to defend that fungus from specialized fungal parasites. We have analyzed one such system at the molecular level and found that the bacterium associated with the ant Apterostigma dentigerum produces dentigerumycin, a cyclic depsipeptide with highly modified amino acids, to selectively inhibit the associated parasitic fungus (Escovopsis sp.).

KW - Animals

KW - Ants

KW - Bacterial Physiological Phenomena

KW - Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid

KW - Fungi

KW - Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

KW - Peptides, Cyclic

KW - Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

KW - Symbiosis

U2 - 10.1038/nchembio.159

DO - 10.1038/nchembio.159

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 19330011

SN - 1552-4450

VL - 5

SP - 391

EP - 393

JO - Nature Chemical Biology

JF - Nature Chemical Biology

IS - 6

ER -