Molecular Dialogues between Early Divergent Fungi and Bacteria in an Antagonism versus a Mutualism.

Fungal-bacterial symbioses range from antagonisms to mutualisms and remain one of the least understood interdomain interactions despite their ubiquity as well as ecological and medical importance. To build a predictive conceptual framework for understanding interactions between fungi and bacteria in different types of symbioses, we surveyed fungal and bacterial transcriptional responses in the mutualism between () (ATCC 52813, host) and its (formerly ) endobacteria versus the antagonism between a nonhost (ATCC 11559) and isolated from the host, at two time points, before and after partner physical contact. We found that bacteria and fungi sensed each other before contact and altered gene expression patterns accordingly.