Affiliation:
1. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Fungal-bacterial interactions are ubiquitous, yet their molecular basis is only poorly understood. In this study, a novel beneficial interaction between a strain of
Pseudomonas putida
and the fungus
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
was identified. When the bacteria were incubated alone in grape juice or in synthetic medium containing various concentrations of glucose, they lost viability rapidly during stationary phase. However, when the bacteria were incubated in these media in the presence of the fungus, their stationary phase survival improved dramatically. On agar plates containing glucose, the beneficial effects of the fungus were manifested in robust bacterial growth and exopolysaccharide production that led to visible mucoidy. In contrast, bacteria grew poorly and were nonmucoid in such media in the absence of the fungus. By using the available
S. cerevisiae
deletion library, yeast mutants that were unable to mediate this beneficial interaction were identified. These mutants revealed that the beneficial effect on bacterial physiology and survival was mediated by the ability of the fungus to metabolize the available glucose and consequent effects on the medium's pH. In natural environments where the concentration of glucose is high, it is likely that the presence of fungi has had profound beneficial effects on the physiology and survival of certain
P. putida
strains throughout their natural history.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Molecular Biology,Microbiology
Cited by
52 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献