title: Streptomycesexploration is triggered by fungal interactions and volatile signals.
abstract: It has long been thought that the life cycle ofStreptomycesbacteria encompasses three developmental stages: vegetative hyphae, aerial hyphae and spores. Here, we show interactions betweenStreptomycesand fungi trigger a previously unobserved mode ofStreptomycesdevelopment. We term theseStreptomycescells 'explorers', for their ability to adopt a non-branching vegetative hyphal conformation and rapidly transverse solid surfaces. Fungi triggerStreptomycesexploratory growth in part by altering the composition of the growth medium, andStreptomycesexplorer cells can communicate this exploratory behaviour to other physically separated streptomycetes using an airborne volatile organic compound (VOC). These results reveal that interkingdom interactions can trigger novel developmental behaviours in bacteria, here, causingStreptomycesto deviate from its classically-defined life cycle. Furthermore, this work provides evidence that VOCs can act as long-range communication signals capable of propagating microbial morphological switches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.|Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
authors.forename: Stephanie E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States.|Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States.
authors.forename: Christiaan A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rees
authors.affiliation: Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States.|Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States.
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Department Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Justin R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Nodwell
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.|Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
authors.forename: Marie A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Elliot
mesh_terms: D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D005658:Fungi / Q000378:metabolism*; D056265:Microbial Interactions; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013302:Streptomyces / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
keywords: Streptomyces; alkaline; fungal interaction; infectious disease; microbiology; trimethylamine; volatile compound