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Fungus-mediated bacterial survival and migration enhance wood lignin degradation

Summary

Researchers discovered that certain bacteria living in decaying wood can travel along fungal threads and help fungi break down tough lignin more efficiently. The bacteria consume sugar and aromatic compounds produced by the fungi, which removes substances that would otherwise slow down the fungal degradation process. This mutualistic partnership between bacteria and fungi shows how nature optimizes wood decomposition in forests, with potential applications for improving biomass conversion in industrial settings.

Background

Bacterial-fungal interactions are increasingly recognized as important in wood decomposition, yet the specific mechanisms remain unclear. White-rot fungi are central to lignin degradation in forest ecosystems, but the ecological roles of coexisting bacteria in solid wood environments are poorly understood.

Objective

To investigate the coexistence and functional impact of vanillic acid-utilizing bacteria isolated from wood colonized by Trametes versicolor, evaluating their role in wood mass loss and lignin degradation through bacterial-fungal co-culture experiments.

Results

Co-cultures with selected bacterial strains enhanced both wood mass loss and lignin degradation compared to fungal monocultures. Bacteria survived long-term only in the presence of fungi, and dispersed within wood via fungal mycelia. Co-cultures showed lower glucose and vanillic acid levels, suggesting bacterial consumption relieves carbon catabolite repression and promotes fungal ligninolytic enzyme laccase activity.

Conclusion

Vanillic acid-utilizing bacteria facilitate enhanced wood decomposition through fungal-mediated migration and survival, with bacteria modulating fungal metabolism via consumption of glucose and aromatic intermediates. This mutualistic interaction represents spatially organized metabolic cooperation relevant to natural and engineered lignocellulose degradation systems.
  • Published in:Applied and Environmental Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: 10.1128/aem.01347-25; PMID: 41159724
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