Fungal–fungal co-culture: a primer for generating chemical diversity

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Nicholas Oberlies, Patricia A. Sullivan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry (Creator)
Huzefa A. Raja, Research Scientist (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Covering: 2002 to 2020In their natural environment, fungi must compete for resources. It has been hypothesized that this competition likely induces the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites for defence. In a quest to discover new chemical diversity from fungal cultures, a growing trend has been to recapitulate this competitive environment in the laboratory, essentially growing fungi in co-culture. This review covers fungal–fungal co-culture studies beginning with the first literature report in 2002. Since then, there has been a growing number of new secondary metabolites reported as a result of fungal co-culture studies. Specifically, this review discusses and provides insights into (1) rationale for pairing fungal strains, (2) ways to grow fungi for co-culture, (3) different approaches to screening fungal co-cultures for chemical diversity, (4) determining the secondary metabolite-producing strain, and (5) final thoughts regarding the fungal–fungal co-culture approach. Our goal is to provide a set of practical strategies for fungal co-culture studies to generate unique chemical diversity that the natural products research community can utilize.

Additional Information

Publication
Knowles, S.L., Raja, H.A., Roberts, C.D., Oberlies, N.H. 2022. Fungal–fungal co-culture: a primer for generating chemical diversity. Natural Product Reports 8: 1557-1573.
Language: English
Date: 2022
Keywords
fungi, secondary metabolites, chemical diversity

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