title: Phytotoxin production in Aspergillus terreus is regulated by independent environmental signals.
abstract: Secondary metabolites have a great potential as pharmaceuticals, but there are only a few examples where regulation of gene cluster expression has been correlated with ecological and physiological relevance for the producer. Here, signals, mediators, and biological effects of terrein production were studied in the fungus Aspergillus terreus to elucidate the contribution of terrein to ecological competition. Terrein causes fruit surface lesions and inhibits plant seed germination. Additionally, terrein is moderately antifungal and reduces ferric iron, thereby supporting growth of A. terreus under iron starvation. In accordance, the lack of nitrogen or iron or elevated methionine levels induced terrein production and was dependent on either the nitrogen response regulators AreA and AtfA or the iron response regulator HapX. Independent signal transduction allows complex sensing of the environment and, combined with its broad spectrum of biological activities, terrein provides a prominent example of adapted secondary metabolite production in response to environmental competition.
authors.affiliation: Microbial Biochemistry and Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gressler
authors.affiliation: Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heine
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hortschansky
authors.affiliation: Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hertweck
authors.affiliation: Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany.|Fungal Genetics and Biology Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brock
mesh_terms: D001230:Aspergillus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000378:metabolism*; D064210:Secondary Metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D003517:Cyclopentanes; D009183:Mycotoxins; C439087:terrein
keywords: Aspergillus terreus; biochemistry; infectious disease; iron limitation; methionine; microbiology; nitrogen starvation; siderophores; terrein