Fungi shape genome evolution of bacteria even in the absence of major growth phenotypes.

ABSTRACT: Studies of microbial interactions often emphasize large, easily measurable growth differences and short-term ecological outcomes spanning just a few generations. However, more subtle interactions, such as those without obvious phenotypes, may play a significant role in shaping both the short-term ecological dynamics and the long-term evolutionary trajectories of microbial species. We used the cheese rind model microbiome to examine how two fungal species, Penicillium camemberti and Geotrichum candidum, impact global gene expression and genome evolution of the bacterium Pseudomonas carnis. Even though fungi had limited impacts on the growth of P. carnis, ~4-40% of its genome was differentially expressed, depending on the specific fungal partner. When we evolved this Pseudomonas strain alone

SUBMITTER: Putnam EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12411852 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature