Siderophore production by the lichen fungus Xanthoria parietina supports its algal symbiont

Lichens are symbiotic associations between a fungal mycobiont and a photosynthetic photobiont. They thrive in nutrient-poor environments; yet the mechanisms underlying their adaptation to iron limitation remained largely unknown. Here, we characterize the iron acquisition system of Xanthoria parietina, a globally distributed lichen-forming fungus associated with the microalgal photobiont Trebouxia decolorans. We demonstrate that the mycobiont produces the siderophore ferrichrome and possesses the full genetic repertoire not only for siderophore biosynthesis, but also reductive iron assimilation, iron detoxification, and regulation. The ferrichrome-synthesizing non-ribosomal peptides synthetase exhibits a lichen-specific compact architecture but retains functionality when heterologously expressed in a non-lichenized ascomycete. Transcriptomic analysis and ferrichrome quantification reveal substrate-dependent regulation of the siderophore system. Importantly, ferrichrome promotes photobiont growth independent of extracellular iron reduction, indicating direct utilization. These findings provide the functional evidence of siderophore-mediated iron acquisition in a lichen symbiosis and highlight ferrichrome as a key mediator of mutualistic nutrient exchange.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-07-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74988-9
Primary Topic
Lichen and fungal ecology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Siderophore production by the lichen fungus Xanthoria parietina supports its algal symbiont

Clemens Decristoforo, G. Winkelmann, Bettina Sarg, Matthias Brock et al.
Nature Communications
Lichen and fungal ecology
article

Siderophore production by the lichen fungus Xanthoria parietina supports its algal symbiont

Clemens Decristoforo, G. Winkelmann, Bettina Sarg, Matthias Brock, Gregor Pichler, Roman Türk, Beate Abt, Ilse Kranner, Nicholas J. Talbot, Hubertus Haas, K. Haselwandter, Gulnara M. Tagirdzhanova, Martin Kraihammer, Simon Oberegger, Isidor Happacher, Klaus Faserl
article en

Abstract

Lichens are symbiotic associations between a fungal mycobiont and a photosynthetic photobiont. They thrive in nutrient-poor environments; yet the mechanisms underlying their adaptation to iron limitation remained largely unknown. Here, we characterize the iron acquisition system of Xanthoria parietina, a globally distributed lichen-forming fungus associated with the microalgal photobiont Trebouxia decolorans. We demonstrate that the mycobiont produces the siderophore ferrichrome and possesses the full genetic repertoire not only for siderophore biosynthesis, but also reductive iron assimilation, iron detoxification, and regulation. The ferrichrome-synthesizing non-ribosomal peptides synthetase exhibits a lichen-specific compact architecture but retains functionality when heterologously expressed in a non-lichenized ascomycete. Transcriptomic analysis and ferrichrome quantification reveal substrate-dependent regulation of the siderophore system. Importantly, ferrichrome promotes photobiont growth independent of extracellular iron reduction, indicating direct utilization. These findings provide the functional evidence of siderophore-mediated iron acquisition in a lichen symbiosis and highlight ferrichrome as a key mediator of mutualistic nutrient exchange.

Nature Communications
University of East Anglia (GB), University of Nottingham (GB), Innsbruck Medical University (AT), Stockholm University (SE), University of Salzburg (AT), Universität Innsbruck (AT), Sainsbury Laboratory (GB), Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft (AT), University of Tübingen (DE)
U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Gatsby Charitable Foundation, Austrian Science Fund, Universität Innsbruck
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Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
Lichen and fungal ecology
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