Dual-purpose isocyanides produced by Aspergillus fumigatus contribute to cellular copper sufficiency and exhibit antimicrobial activity.

ABSTRACT: The maintenance of sufficient but nontoxic pools of metal micronutrients is accomplished through diverse homeostasis mechanisms in fungi. Siderophores play a well established role for iron homeostasis; however, no copper-binding analogs have been found in fungi. Here we demonstrate that, in Aspergillus fumigatus, xanthocillin and other isocyanides derived from the xan biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) bind copper, impact cellular copper content, and have significant metal-dependent antimicrobial properties. xan BGC-derived isocyanides are secreted and bind copper as visualized by a chrome azurol S (CAS) assay, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis of A. fumigatus intracellular copper pools demonstrated a role for xan cluster metabolites

SUBMITTER: Raffa N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7923669 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature