Dual-purpose isocyanides produced by contribute to cellular copper sufficiency and exhibit antimicrobial activity.

The maintenance of sufficient but nontoxic pools of metal micronutrients is accomplished through diverse homeostasis mechanisms in fungi. Siderophores play a well established role for iron homeostasis; however, no copper-binding analogs have been found in fungi. Here we demonstrate that, in , xanthocillin and other isocyanides derived from the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) bind copper, impact cellular copper content, and have significant metal-dependent antimicrobial properties.

Fungal oxylipins direct programmed developmental switches in filamentous fungi.

Filamentous fungi differentiate along complex developmental programs directed by abiotic and biotic signals. Currently, intrinsic signals that govern fungal development remain largely unknown. Here we show that an endogenously produced and secreted fungal oxylipin, 5,8-diHODE, induces fungal cellular differentiation, including lateral branching in pathogenic Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus, and appressorium formation in the rice blast pathogen Magnaporthe grisea.

Contributions of Spore Secondary Metabolites to UV-C Protection and Virulence Vary in Different Aspergillus fumigatus Strains.

Fungi are versatile organisms which thrive in hostile environments, including the International Space Station (ISS). Several isolates of the human pathogen have been found contaminating the ISS, an environment with increased exposure to UV radiation. Secondary metabolites (SMs) in spores, such as melanins, have been shown to protect spores from UV radiation in other fungi.

Copper Utilization, Regulation, and Acquisition by .

Copper is an essential micronutrient for the opportunistic human pathogen, . Maintaining copper homeostasis is critical for survival and pathogenesis. Copper-responsive transcription factors, AceA and MacA, coordinate a complex network responsible for responding to copper in the environment and determining which response is necessary to maintain homeostasis.

Macrophages inhibit Aspergillus fumigatus germination and neutrophil-mediated fungal killing.

In immunocompromised individuals, Aspergillus fumigatus causes invasive fungal disease that is often difficult to treat. Exactly how immune mechanisms control A. fumigatus in immunocompetent individuals remains unclear.

Fungal Isocyanide Synthases and Xanthocillin Biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus.

Microbial secondary metabolites, including isocyanide moieties, have been extensively mined for their repertoire of bioactive properties. Although the first naturally occurring isocyanide (xanthocillin) was isolated from the fungus over half a century ago, the biosynthetic origins of fungal isocyanides remain unknown. Here we report the identification of a family of isocyanide synthases (ICSs) from the opportunistic human pathogen Comparative metabolomics of overexpression or knockout mutants of ICS candidate genes led to the discovery of a fungal biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) that produces xanthocillin ().