Novel killer yeasts and toxins from the gardens of fungus-growing ants.

ABSTRACT: Killer toxins are proteinaceous antifungal molecules produced by yeasts, with activity against a wide range of human and plant pathogenic fungi. Fungus gardens of attine ants in Brazil were surveyed to determine the presence of killer toxin-producing yeasts and to define their antifungal activities and ecological importance. Our results indicate that 10 out of 59 yeast species isolated from fungal gardens are killer yeasts. Killer yeasts were less likely to inhibit the growth of yeasts isolated from the same environment but more effective at inhibiting yeasts isolated from other environments, supporting a role for killer yeasts in shaping the community composition. All killer yeasts had genome-encoded killer toxins and lacked cytoplasmic toxin-encoding elements (i.e., double-stranded RNA s

SUBMITTER: Bizarria R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12875307 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature