Wood decay under anoxia by the brown-rot fungus Fomitopsis pinicola
Basidiomycete fungi are the main decomposers of dead wood with an impact on the global carbon cycle. Their degradative mechanisms have been well-studied under aerobic conditions. Here, we study their activity in oxygen-depleted environments. We use metaproteomics in a field study to identify active wood-decomposing fungi and their enzymes at different depths from the wood surface, including in oxygen-depleted conditions. In vitro, we observe that the brown-rot fungus Fomitopsis pinicola can grow on wood in complete anoxia. Using <sup>13</sup>C solid-state NMR, we demonstrate the degradation of plant cell-wall polysaccharides and fungal growth in the absence of oxygen. Proteomic analyses reveal that F. pinicola switches from a Fenton chemistry-based process under aerobic conditions to the secretion of plant cell wall-active enzymes in anoxia. Our finding that wood decay fungi can thrive in complete anoxia provides a deeper understanding of lignocellulose degradation mechanisms in nature and raises opportunities for the development of bio-inspired anaerobic processes.
Authors
- Guylaine Miotello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2398-1249)
- Lucia Grenga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5560-1717)
- Theodora Tryfona (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1618-3521)
- Annie Lebreton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8301-9983)
- Xiaolan Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8245-8725)
- Jean‐Guy Berrin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7570-3745)
- Isabelle Gimbert
- Lionel Tarrago (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7115-8137)
- Jean Armengaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1589-445X)
- Signe Lett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2515-8413)
- Paul Dupree (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9270-6286)
- David Navarro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3266-8270)
- Sacha Grisel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6983-0107)
- Bernard Henrissat (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3434-8588)
- Helle Juel Martens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3011-4557)
- R. Dupree (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3334-0429)
- Rosalie Cresswell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8061-2530)
- Robert Röllig
- Marie‐Noëlle Rosso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8317-7220)
- Katja S. Johansen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7587-5990)
- Julien Lambert
- Élodie Drula (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9168-5214)
Institutions
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Aix-Marseille Université (FR)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- University of Warwick (GB)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Laboratoire Innovations Technologiques pour la Détection et le Diagnostic (FR)
- Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure Consortium (AT)
- Technologies pour la Santé (FR)
- Biodiversité et Biotechnologie Fongiques (FR)
- CEA Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Unité de Technologies Chimiques et Biologiques pour la Santé (FR)
- Centre d'études et de recherches internationales de Sciences Po (FR)
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques (FR)
- Institut de Biologie et Technologies (FR)
- IT University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Technical University of Denmark (DK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-08-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62567-3
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.58
Funders
- Institut Français de Bioinformatique
- European Commission
- Novo Nordisk
- Novo Nordisk Fonden
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council