Bioprospecting: Investigating the Toxin Droplets of Pleurotus Species

Pleurotus—known as oyster mushrooms—are nematophagous fungi that utilize secondary metabolites to paralyze nematode prey. When grown in nutrient poor environments, members of Pleurotus produce liquid, nematotoxic secondary metabolite containing microdroplets from spathulate secretory cells. Although toxin droplet-nematode interactions have been well documented in the literature, little is known of the regulation of toxin droplet production in response to external stimuli. Moreover, the identity of the bioactive secondary metabolites contained within the droplets of Pleurotus remain unconfirmed. This study is the first to confirm that the presence of nematodes influences the abundance of toxin droplets produced by Pleurotus and characterizes the total metabolic profile of Pleurotus toxin droplets. The data presented in this study also identifies several metabolites with nematicidal potential that may be considered as candidate nematicides for the control of nematode pests.