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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗴𝘂𝘀 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝙖𝙡𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
The soil fungus Mortierella alpina has the potential to make agriculture greener and more sustainable: The fungus produces bioactive molecules called malpinins, which could protect plants from destructive worms. A research team from Jena has now been able to understand and describe their mode of action for the first time. The study was published in the renowned Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS).
The story begins under our feet: soils are not only a complex habitat, but also a battlefield where tiny nematodes fight against fungi and plant roots. Agriculture in particular suffers as a result. Out of concern about crop losses, the worms are conventionally controlled with chemical pesticides. However, these are increasingly being criticized for potentially damaging the soil and water. With a view to the future, alternatives must be found for sustainable agriculture.
Unlike us humans, the soil fungus 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘢 has long known a natural trick against nematodes: it produces special molecules that make life difficult for its predators. These surface-active natural products are called malpinins and act as natural detergents. “Earlier studies had already shown that the fungus can fight nematodes, but the molecular mechanism of action behind this was still unknown. We wanted to elucidate this,” says first author Dr. Hannah Büttner from the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI).
𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘢, which is mainly found in the soil of temperate and cool regions, could be a key to sustainable agriculture. “If we find out exactly how 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 works against nematodes, we could perhaps use this fungus specifically as a biological control agent against plant pathogens,” says Büttner, who has just successfully completed her doctoral thesis.
𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀
For the study, the scientists investigated the effect of malpinins on model nematodes. In order to track the natural products live in the nematodes, they used imaging techniques such as fluorescence microscopy and Raman spectroscopy in cooperation with Constanze Schultz from the neighboring Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology. “We were able to observe how the malpinins accumulate specifically in the worms’ digestive tract,” explains Büttner. “However, the nematodes did not die immediately, but stopped feeding. This ultimately led to a slow but effective control of the worms.”
The chemical structure of malpinins is particularly remarkable and makes their worm-killing effect possible in the first place. A special building block is crucial here: the unusual amino acid dehydrobutyrin.
“Dehydrobutyrin has a reactive double bond and could therefore react with molecules that are essential for the function of the nematode intestine,” explains co-author Johannes Raßbach from the Institute of Pharmacy at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. These reactions could, for example, disrupt important enzymatic processes in the digestive tract of the pests or impair the membrane structure. Experiments showed that variants of malpinins in which the amino acid was replaced by a less reactive structure completely lost their effect. “This indicates that precisely this structure is essential for biological activity. Without it, the compound is ineffective,” says Raßbach.
The researchers suspect that their unique structure enables the malpinins to both penetrate the nematodes’ bodies and have a targeted effect there.
𝗔𝗻 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀?
The findings from the study could contribute to sustainable agriculture. Chemical pesticides always pose certain environmental and health risks. Natural alternatives such as malpinins, on the other hand, could be environmentally friendly solutions, especially as 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 fungi are often associated with healthy soil. “𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 has long been used in biotechnology, e.g. for the production of baby food. However, in order to be able to use it safely and effectively in agriculture, we first need to research the fungus further,” emphasizes Raßbach.
The study was carried out as part of the “ChemBioSys” Collaborative Research Center and the “Balance of the Microverse” Cluster of Excellence at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The Cluster of Excellence investigates how microbial communities in different habitats interact with each other and with their environment. The interdisciplinary research project aims to understand fundamental principles of microbial balance in order to apply them in medicine, agriculture, environmental science and biotechnology and to develop sustainable solutions to global challenges such as climate change, food shortages and health problems. The work was funded by the German Research Foundation, the state of Thuringia and the EU, among others.
Prof. Dr. Christian Hertweck
Biomolecular Chemistry • Head of Department
+49 3641 532-1101
christian.hertweck@leibniz-hki.de
Büttner H, Rassbach J, Schultz C, Popp J, Gressler M, Hertweck C (2024) Beneficial soil fungus kills predatory nematodes with dehydropeptides translocating into the animal gut. Journal of the American Chemical Society 146 (50), 34702–34710, https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c12989
https://www.microverse-cluster.de/en/
Digestive tract of 𝘊𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘴
Constanze Schultz
Constanze Schultz/Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien
Nematode with Malpinines
Constanze Schultz
Constanze Schultz/Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien
𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝙖𝙡𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙖 in a petri dish
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Digestive tract of 𝘊𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘴
Constanze Schultz
Constanze Schultz/Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien
Nematode with Malpinines
Constanze Schultz
Constanze Schultz/Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien
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