A comparative cell wall analysis of Trichoderma spp. confirms a conserved polysaccharide scaffold and suggests an important role for chitosan in mycoparasitism

Trichoderma species are emerging model fungi for the development of biocontrol agents and are used in industrial biotechnology as efficient enzyme producers. Fungal cell walls are complex structures that differ in carbohydrate, protein, and enzyme composition across taxa. Here, we present a chemical...

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Published inMicrobiology spectrum Vol. 12; no. 8; p. e0349523
Main Authors Kappel, Lisa, Yu, Long, Escobar, Carolina, Marcianò, Demetrio, Srivastava, Vaibhav, Bulone, Vincent, Gruber, Sabine
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Society for Microbiology 06.08.2024
Subjects
fungal cell wall
Host-Microbial Interactions
mycoparasitism
Research Article
Trichoderma
fungal cell wall
Trichoderma
mycoparasitism
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Summary:Trichoderma species are emerging model fungi for the development of biocontrol agents and are used in industrial biotechnology as efficient enzyme producers. Fungal cell walls are complex structures that differ in carbohydrate, protein, and enzyme composition across taxa. Here, we present a chemical characterization of the cell walls of two Trichoderma spp., namely the predominantly saprotrophic Trichoderma reesei and the mycoparasite Trichoderma atroviride . Chemical profiling revealed that Trichoderma spp. remodel their cell wall to adapt to particular lifestyles, with dynamic changes during vegetative development. Importantly, we found that chitosan accumulation during mycoparasitism of a fungal host emerged as a sophisticated strategy underpinning an effective attack. These insights shed light on the molecular mechanisms that allow mycoparasites to overcome host defenses and can be exploited to improve the application of T. atroviride in biological pest control. Moreover, our results provide valuable information for targeting the fungal cell wall for therapeutic purposes.
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The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Present address: College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia
Lisa Kappel and Long Yu contributed equally to this article. Author order was determined both alphabetically and in order of increasing seniority.
Present address: Division of Glycoscience, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Centre, Stockholm, Sweden
ISSN:2165-0497
2165-0497
DOI:10.1128/spectrum.03495-23