Project description:The cheese microbial community is dense with relatively low complexity and composed of cultivable prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms. The ripening process can thus be reproduced under controlled conditions. A reduced microbial community composed of yeasts and bacteria was assembled to mimic that of smear-ripened cheese. The genomes of the microorganisms have been sequenced and annotated, which allows access to gene expression under various conditions at different ripening times. Through the use of a combined approach using omics (e.g. metatranscriptomics, volatilomics), and biochemical/microbial analyses, we have investigated the effect of a biotic perturbation, omission of some yeast, on the stability and functionality of the microbial cheese community throughout ripening.
Project description:Macrotermitine termites have domesticated fungi in the genus Termitomycesas their primary food source using predigested plant biomass. To access the full nutritional value of lignin-enriched plant biomass, the termite-fungus symbiosis requires the depolymerization of this complex phenolic polymer. While most previous work suggests that lignocellulose degradation is accomplished predominantly by the fungal cultivar, our current understanding of the underlying biomolecular mechanisms remains rudimentary. Here, we provide conclusive omics and activity-based evidence that Termitomyces employs not only a broad array of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) but also a restricted set of oxidizing enzymes (manganese peroxidase, dye decolorization peroxidase, an unspecific peroxygenase, laccases, and aryl-alcohol oxidases) and Fenton chemistry for biomass degradation. We propose for the first time that Termitomyces induces hydroquinone-mediated Fenton chemistry using a herein newly described 2-methoxy-1,4-dihy-droxybenzene (2-MH2Q, compound 19)-based electron shuttle system to complement the enzymatic degradation pathways. This study provides a comprehensive depiction of how efficient biomass degradation by means of this ancient insect’s agricultural symbiosis is accomplished.
2021-05-12 | PXD025936 | Pride
Project description:ECOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR ASPECTS OF LIGNOCELLULOSE DIGESTION IN NEOTROPICAL HIGHER TERMITES
