title: Hypopulvins, novel peptaibiotics from the polyporicolous fungus Hypocrea pulvinata, are produced during infection of its natural hosts.
abstract: In order to investigate the significance of antibiotics for the producing organism(s) in the natural habitat, we screened specimens of the polyporicolous fungus Hypocrea pulvinata growing on its natural hosts Piptoporus betulinus and Fomitopsis pinicola. Results showed that a particular group of nonribosomally biosynthesised antibiotic polypeptides, the peptaibiotics, which contain the nonproteinogenic marker amino acid α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), was produced in the natural habitat by the fungicolous producer and, consequently, released into the host. Using liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray high-resolution mass spectrometry we detected especially 19-, but also 11-, 18-, and 20-residue peptaibiotics in the five infected specimens analysed. Structures of peptaibiotics found were confirmed by analysing the peptaibiome of pure agar cultures obtained by single-ascospore isolation from the specimens. The 19-residue peptaibols were determined as deletion sequences of the trichosporins B lacking the Aib residue in position 6. Notably, 26 of the 28 peptaibiotics sequenced were novel; therefore the name 'hypopulvins' was introduced. Considering not only the ubiquity of both the two host species but also the highly specific association between H. pulvinata and P. betulinus/F. pinicola, and the abundance of this fungicolous species in north temperate regions of the world, a decisive role for the peptaibiotics detected in this study is predicted, which may act as mediators of the complex interactions between the basidiomycetous host and its fungicolous ascomycete 'partner'. Structural analogies of the hypopulvins, particularly with other 18-, 19-, and 20-residue peptaibiotics, suggest that the hypopulvins are forming transmembrane ion channels and could thus support the hypothesis of a parasitic lifestyle of the fungicolous producer.
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Bioresources Project Group, Winchesterstraße 2, 35394 Gießen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian René
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Röhrich
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Biology, Center for Microbial Biotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 221, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iversen
authors.affiliation: Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Faculty Centre of Biodiversity, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Walter Michael
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Jaklitsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Faculty Centre of Biodiversity, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Voglmayr
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials, Innovent e.V., Prüssingstraße 27 B, 07745 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Albrecht
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbial Communication, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Neugasse 25, 07743 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dörfelt
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Biology, Center for Microbial Biotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 221, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Thrane
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Bioresources Project Group, Winchesterstraße 2, 35394 Gießen, Germany.|Institute of Phytopathology and Applied Zoology, Department of Applied Entomology, IFZ, Justus-Liebig University Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Gießen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vilcinskas
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Biology, Center for Microbial Biotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 221, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kristian Fog
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Chemistry, Technical University of Berlin, Franklinstraße 29, 10587 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Von Döhren
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Sciences, IFZ, Justus-Liebig University Gießen, 35392 Gießen, Germany.|Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, College of Food Sciences and Agriculture, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brückner
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Biology, Center for Microbial Biotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 221, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.|Institute of Phytopathology and Applied Zoology, Department of Applied Entomology, IFZ, Justus-Liebig University Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Gießen, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Degenkolb
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000898:Antibiosis; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D055453:Coriolaceae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D035901:Hypocrea / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D010455:Peptides