A prophage tail-like protein is deployed by Burkholderia bacteria to feed on fungi

Durga Madhab Swain, Sunil Kumar Yadav, Isha Tyagi, Rahul Kumar, Rajeev Kumar, Srayan Ghosh, Joyati Das and Gopaljee Jha ()
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Durga Madhab Swain: National Institute of Plant Genome Research
Sunil Kumar Yadav: National Institute of Plant Genome Research
Isha Tyagi: National Institute of Plant Genome Research
Rahul Kumar: National Institute of Plant Genome Research
Rajeev Kumar: National Institute of Plant Genome Research
Srayan Ghosh: National Institute of Plant Genome Research
Joyati Das: National Institute of Plant Genome Research
Gopaljee Jha: National Institute of Plant Genome Research

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Some bacteria can feed on fungi, a phenomenon known as mycophagy. Here we show that a prophage tail-like protein (Bg_9562) is essential for mycophagy in Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1. The purified protein causes hyphal disintegration and inhibits growth of several fungal species. Disruption of the Bg_9562 gene abolishes mycophagy. Bg_9562 is a potential effector secreted by a type III secretion system (T3SS) and is translocated into fungal mycelia during confrontation. Heterologous expression of Bg_9562 in another bacterial species, Ralstonia solanacearum, confers mycophagous ability in a T3SS-dependent manner. We propose that the ability to feed on fungi conferred by Bg_9562 may help the bacteria to survive in certain ecological niches. Furthermore, considering its broad-spectrum antifungal activity, the protein may be potentially useful in biotechnological applications to control fungal diseases.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00529-0

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