Nematode-trapping fungi eavesdrop on nematode pheromones.

ABSTRACT: The recognition of molecular patterns associated with specific pathogens or food sources is fundamental to ecology and plays a major role in the evolution of predator-prey relationships. Recent studies showed that nematodes produce an evolutionarily highly conserved family of small molecules, the ascarosides, which serve essential functions in regulating nematode development and behavior. Here, we show that nematophagous fungi, natural predators of soil-dwelling nematodes, can detect and respond to ascarosides. Nematophagous fungi use specialized trapping devices to catch and consume nematodes, and previous studies demonstrated that most fungal species do not produce traps constitutively but rather initiate trap formation in response to their prey. We found that ascarosides, which are cons

SUBMITTER: Hsueh YP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4047969 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature