MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

The CBS/H2S Signalling Pathway Regulated by Carbon Repressor CreA Promotes Cellulose Utilization in Ganoderma lucidum

Summary

This research discovered that hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gaseous signaling molecule, helps fungi break down cellulose more efficiently. The study focused on Ganoderma lucidum, an important medicinal mushroom, and found that when growing on cellulose, it produces more H2S, which helps it better digest this plant material. This finding has several practical implications: • Could lead to more efficient production of mushroom-based medicines and supplements • May help develop better methods for breaking down plant waste into useful products • Could improve industrial processes that use fungi to produce biofuels • Provides insights for more sustainable farming practices using fungal decomposition • May help reduce agricultural waste by improving fungal breakdown of plant materials

Background

Cellulose is an important abundant renewable resource on Earth, and understanding microbial cellulose utilization mechanisms has attracted extensive attention. Recent studies have identified signaling molecules that regulate cellulose utilization, but the discovery of underlying signals remains an active area of research.

Objective

To investigate the role of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) signaling in cellulose utilization by Ganoderma lucidum and analyze the regulatory mechanism of H2S biosynthesis under cellulose culture conditions.

Results

The study found that H2S concentration increased approximately 2.3-fold under cellulose culture conditions compared to glucose conditions. Increasing H2S concentration improved cellulase activities by 18.2-27.6%. The carbon repressor CreA was shown to inhibit H2S biosynthesis by binding to the promoter of the cbs gene at the ‘CTGGGG’ sequence. The research demonstrated that CreA negatively regulates CBS/H2S signaling pathway, which in turn affects cellulose utilization.

Conclusion

This study revealed for the first time that H2S increases cellulose utilization in G. lucidum and elucidated the mechanism of cellulose-induced H2S biosynthesis. The findings show that the CBS/H2S signaling pathway is regulated by the carbon repressor CreA and plays an important role in cellulose utilization, providing new insights into fungal cellulose metabolism.
  • Published in:Communications Biology,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research,
  • Source: 10.1038/s42003-024-06180-y
Scroll to Top