title: The fungal leaf endophyte Paraconiothyrium variabile specifically metabolizes the host-plant metabolome for its own benefit.
abstract: Fungal endophytes live inside plant tissues and some have been found to provide benefits to their host. Nevertheless, their ecological impact is not adequately understood. Considering the fact that endophytes are continuously interacting with their hosts, it is conceivable that both partners have substantial influence on each other's metabolic processes. In this context, we have investigated the action of the endophytic fungus Paraconiothyrium variabile, isolated from the leaves of Cephalotaxus harringtonia, on the secondary metabolome of the host-plant. The alteration of the leaf compounds by the fungus was monitored through metabolomic approaches followed by structural characterization of the altered products. Out of more than a thousand molecules present in the crude extract of the plant leaf, we have observed a specific biotransformation of glycosylated flavonoids by the endophyte. In all cases it led to the production of the corresponding aglycone via deglycosylation. The deglycosylated flavonoids turned out to display significant beneficial effects on the hyphal growth of germinated spores. Our finding, along with the known allelopathic role of flavonoids, illustrates the chemical cooperation underlying the mutualistic relationship between the plant and the endophyte.
authors.affiliation: Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), UMR 7245 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), UMR 7245 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Séverine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amand
authors.affiliation: Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), UMR 7245 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Buisson
authors.affiliation: Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), UMR 7245 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University Paris 06, UFR 927, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kunz
authors.affiliation: Jardins Botaniques, Arboretum de Chèvreloup, USM 0802, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Rocquencourt, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hachette
authors.affiliation: Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISEB), UMR 7205 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Joëlle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dupont
authors.affiliation: Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), UMR 7245 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Bastien
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nay
authors.affiliation: Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), UMR 7245 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. Electronic address: sprado@mnhn.fr.
authors.forename: Soizic
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prado
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D001711:Biotransformation; D032483:Cephalotaxus / Q000382:microbiology; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000502:physiology*; D006031:Glycosylation; D055442:Metabolome; D015394:Molecular Structure; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids
keywords: Biotransformation; Endophyte; Flavone; Metabolomics; Mutualism; Plant secondary metabolome; Plant–endophyte interactions; Signaling molecules