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Integration of Physiological, Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Reveals Molecular Mechanism of Paraisaria dubia Response to Zn2+ Stress

Summary

This research explores how a specific fungus can help clean up zinc pollution from the environment. The fungus, Paraisaria dubia, can remove 60% of zinc from contaminated environments through various biological mechanisms. This discovery has important implications for environmental cleanup and pollution management. Impacts on everyday life: • Provides a natural solution for cleaning up toxic metal pollution in soil and water • Offers an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical cleanup methods • Could help make contaminated agricultural land usable again • Demonstrates nature-based solutions for environmental problems • May lead to more cost-effective methods for industrial waste cleanup

Background

Heavy metal pollution, particularly zinc (Zn2+) contamination, has become an increasing environmental concern. While mycoremediation using fungi shows promise for managing heavy metal pollution, there are limited studies on zinc remediation specifically. Understanding how fungi respond to and process zinc stress is crucial for developing effective bioremediation strategies.

Objective

To explore the zinc remediation potential of Paraisaria dubia, an entomopathogenic fungus, and reveal its molecular mechanisms for zinc tolerance through integrated analysis of physiological responses, transcriptomics, and metabolomics.

Results

P. dubia removed 60% of Zn2+ from contaminated media. Under zinc stress, the fungus showed reduced mycelial biomass but increased extracellular polysaccharide production. Transcriptomic analysis identified 1,533 differentially expressed genes, while metabolomics revealed 207 differential metabolites. The fungus responded to zinc stress through multiple mechanisms including metal ion transport regulation, extracellular polysaccharide synthesis, metabolic adjustments, and notably through microcycle conidiation – a survival mechanism producing stress-resistant spores.

Conclusion

P. dubia demonstrates significant potential for zinc bioremediation through multiple tolerance mechanisms. The fungus enhances its zinc tolerance by restricting zinc uptake, chelating zinc through extracellular polysaccharides, regulating metabolites for cell viability and stress response, and inducing spore production through microcycle conidiation. This study provides new insights for using entomopathogenic fungi in heavy metal bioremediation.
  • Published in:Journal of Fungi,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research,
  • Source: 10.3390/jof9070693
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