A broad-spectrum anti-fungal effector dictates bacterial-fungal interkingdom interactions.

ABSTRACT: Bacteria-fungi interactions play crucial roles in shaping microbial communities across diverse environmental and host-associated niches. While their antagonism through diffusible metabolites is a well-known ecological phenomenon, delivery of bacterial effectors into the nucleus of fungal cells remains rare, and the mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we identify and characterize a potent anti-fungal nuclease effector, TseN, delivered by the type VI secretion system (T6SS) of Acidovorax citrulli. TseN possesses a nuclear localization signal and inhibits multiple fungal species, including emerging human pathogens Candida auris and Cryptococcus neoformans. Structural and biochemical analyses show that TseN possesses a unique C-terminal DNase domain that defines a new effector class, with

SUBMITTER: Yan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12574953 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature