Project description:Vuilleminia comedens is a basidiomycete pioneer species in attached angiosperm branches, especially beech (Fagus sylvaticus), initiating decomposition of lignocellulose. Pioneer species exert priority effects on subsequent colonisers influencing community structure. Wood decay is an essential part of the carbon cycle, underpinning forest ecosystem processes, but despite its clear importance, remarkably little is known about the pioneer species which begin the process of lignocellulose decomposition. This work studied the transcriptome and proteome of V. comedens growing in inoculated beech wood blocks in the laboratory. Our analysis focused on nutrient acquisition by decomposition of lignocellulose, and the specialised metabolic processes utilised by the fungus to mitigate against the effects of both plant defence compounds and the toxic derivatives produced as a result of lignin breakdown. Our results show that V. comedens expresses transcripts encoding a large range of enzymes associated with lignocellulose decomposition and metabolism of carbohydrate-based compounds, suggesting a broad-based approach to nutrient acquisition. Furthermore, the transcriptome included an array of genes for specialised metabolism and xenobiotic mitigation, some of which were highly expressed, suggesting that the chemical environment that V. comedens inhabits during wood decay is a significant challenge to successful growth. The proteomic data support the importance of lignin decomposition and xenobiotic mitigation to V. comedens.
