A predator–prey interaction between myxobacteria and fungi mediated by outer membrane vesicles
We discover that Myxococcus sp. MP20 uses fungal networks and cotton root exudates for spatial dispersal. MP20 deploys the antifungal metabolites myxothiazole via OMVs to inhibit Vd growth by fusing the OMVs with fungal cells, thus restraining fungal invasion. Containment of myxothiazol within OMVs maintains an effective antifungal concentration on target cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the release of OMVs from MP20 was suppressed by iron via a newly discovered ABC transport system. In turn the lower number of OMVs reduced the antifungal behavior of MP20, suggesting that iron acquisition regulates OMV-mediated competition between myxobacteria and fungi. Our findings thus unravel a novel antifungal tactic employed by myxobacteria to suppress fungi prey and control Verticillium wilt, which also provides new insights for understanding predator-prey interactions.
Authors
- Xianfeng Ye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5675-8924)
- Zhongli Cui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5048-7166)
- Muxing Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0363-0692)
- Daniel Wall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0273-1371)
- Xiahong He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8702-2135)
- Yan Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0504-3021)
- Zhoukun Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2328-5232)
- Lin Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7558-7289)
- Lei Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7481-4221)
- Rui Shi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3856-4370)
- Yanling Ji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1762-6055)
- Kanghui Lin
- Jihong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6798-6683)
- Qiwen Fan
- Xiangrui Guo
Institutions
- Nanjing Agricultural University (CN)
- University of Wyoming (US)
- Southwest Forestry University (CN)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Advanced Research
- Published
- 2025-10-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jare.2025.10.006
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.80