---
title: "Co-culture of Fomitopsis betulina with Escherichia coli Induces Nutritional Stress and Activates S"
id: "biorxiv-2-the-coculture-of-fomitopsis-betulina-with-escherichia-coli-induces-a"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-2-the-coculture-of-fomitopsis-betulina-with-escherichia-coli-induces-a"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "General"
source_name: "bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)"
source_url: "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.14.751415v1?rss=1"
published_at: "2026-09-20T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Co-culture of Fomitopsis betulina with Escherichia coli Induces Nutritional Stress and Activates S
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-2-the-coculture-of-fomitopsis-betulina-with-escherichia-coli-induces-a
- **Specialty:** [General](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/general.md)
- **Primary Source:** bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.14.751415v1?rss=1)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-20T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- The basidiomycete fungus **Fomitopsis betulina** was co-cultured with **Escherichia coli** to study fungal responses to nutritional competition. - On solid medium, F. betulina inhibited E. coli growth; metabolomics of the inhibition zone found a Sumiki’s acid derivative, calcium diformate, and sulfuric acid enriched. - The authors hypothesize the detected compounds contributed to medium acidification at the interaction zone. - Previously reported antibacterial piptamine and related derivatives were not detected under the experimental conditions used. - In liquid co-culture, glucose was rapidly depleted, producing **carbon-starvation** conditions and causing a 44% reduction in fungal biomass. - Transcriptomic profiling showed broad metabolic reprogramming: upregulation of genes for carbon acquisition, nutrient transport, redox homeostasis, and stress adaptation. - A homolog of the Velvet regulatory complex, a known regulator of fungal development and specialized metabolism, was upregulated during co-culture. - Expression of genes within multiple **biosynthetic gene clusters** was induced, including terpene, polyketide, and fungal RiPP pathways, indicating activation of **secondary metabolism**. - The study concludes that bacterial competition is a potent trigger of nutritional stress and secondary metabolism in F. betulina and proposes fungal–bacterial co-culture as an alternative approach to uncovering basidiomycete specialized metabolites.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
The coculture of Fomitopsis betulina with Escherichia coli induces a nutritional stress and triggers secondary metabolism pathways. | bioRxiv Skip to main content New Results The coculture of Fomitopsis betulina with Escherichia coli induces a nutritional stress and triggers secondary metabolism pathways. View ORCID Profile Quentin ALBERT , View ORCID Profile Elodie Drula , Julien LAMBERT , Isabelle Herpoël-Gimbert , David Navarro , Pierre VILELLA , Marc MARESCA , Attilio DI MAIO , Maxime ROBIN , View ORCID Profile Mickael Lafond , Stephane GREFF , View ORCID Profile Marie-Noëlle Rosso doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.14.751415 Quentin ALBERT 1 Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture l'Alimentation et l'Environnement Departement MICA; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Quentin ALBERT Elodie Drula 1 Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture l'Alimentation et l'Environnement Departement MICA; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Elodie Drula Julien LAMBERT 2 Biodiversite et Biotechnologie Fongiques; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Isabelle Herpoël-Gimbert 3 Aix-Marseille Université; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site David Navarro 4 INRAE; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Pierre VILELLA 5 Institut Mediterraneen de Biodiversite et d'Ecologie Marine et Continentale; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Marc MARESCA 6 Institut des Sciences Moleculaires de Marseille; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Attilio DI MAIO 7 Laboratoire de Physiologie Expérimentale Cardiovasculaire; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Maxime ROBIN 7 Laboratoire de Physiologie Expérimentale Cardiovasculaire; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Mickael Lafond 8 Aix-Marseille Universite Polytech Marseille Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Mickael Lafond Stephane GREFF 5 Institut Mediterraneen de Biodiversite et d'Ecologie Marine et Continentale; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Marie-Noëlle Rosso 1 Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture l'Alimentation et l'Environnement Departement MICA; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Marie-Noëlle Rosso For correspondence: marie-noelle.rosso{at}inrae.fr Abstract Info/History Metrics Preview PDF Abstract Basidiomycete fungi are an underexplored source of specialized metabolites with significant biotechnological potential. However, the environmental cues that activate their biosynthetic pathways remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the response of the wood-decaying fungus Fomitopsis betulina , to nutritional competition using co-cultures with Escherichia coli . On solid medium, F. betulina inhibited the bacterial growth. Using a mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach, we identified a Sumiki’s acid derivative, calcium diformate, and sulfuric acid among the compounds enriched within the inhibition zone and hypothesized that these compounds were associated with the acidification of the medium. Although F. betulina has previously been reported to produce the antibacterial compound piptamine, neither piptamine nor related derivatives were detected under our experimental conditions. In liquid medium, the co-culture with E. coli caused the rapid depletion of the available glucose, resulting in the establishment of carbon-starvation conditions and a 44% reduction in fungal biomass. Transcriptomic analyses revealed extensive metabolic reprogramming in response to bacterial competition, including the induction of genes involved in carbon acquisition, nutrient transport, redox homeostasis, and stress adaptation. Notably, a homolog of the Velvet regulatory complex, a central regulator of fungal development and specialized metabolism, was upregulated. The co-culture induced the expression of genes associated with multiple biosynthetic gene clusters, including terpene, polyketide, and fungal RiPP. Taken together, our results demonstrate that bacterial competition acts as a potent trigger of nutritional stress and secondary metabolism in F. betulina . More broadly, fungal–bacterial co-culture represents a promising alternative to extractions to identify high-value added metabolites pathways from basidiomycetes. Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . Back to top Previous Next Posted September 20, 2026. Download PDF Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You are going to email the following The coculture of Fomitopsis betulina with Escherichia coli induces a nutritional stress and triggers secondary metabolism pathways. Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website. Your Personal Message CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Share The coculture of Fomitopsis betulina with Escherichia coli induces a nutritional stress and triggers secondary metabolism pathways. Quentin ALBERT , Elodie Drula , Julien LAMBERT , Isabelle Herpoël-Gimbert , David Navarro , Pierre VILELLA , Marc MARESCA , Attilio DI MAIO , Maxime ROBIN , Mickael Lafond , Stephane GREFF , Marie-Noëlle Rosso bioRxiv 2026.09.14.751415; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.14.751415 Share This Article: Copy Citation Tools The coculture of Fomitopsis betulina with Escherichia coli induces a nutritional stress and triggers secondary metabolism pathways. Quentin ALBERT , Elodie Drula , Julien LAMBERT , Isabelle Herpoël-Gimbert , David Navarro , Pierre VILELLA , Marc MARESCA , Attilio DI MAIO , Maxime ROBIN , Mickael Lafond , Stephane GREFF , Marie-Noëlle Rosso bioRxiv 2026.09.14.751415; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.14.751415 Citation Manager Formats BibTeX Bookends EasyBib EndNote (tagged) EndNote 8 (xml) Medlars Mendeley Papers RefWorks Tagged Ref Manager RIS Zotero Tweet Widget Facebook Like Google Plus One Subject Areas All Articles Animal Behavior and Cognition (8013) Biochemistry (18739) Bioengineering (14888) Bioinformatics (44418) Biophysics (22599) Cancer Biology (19723) Cell Biology (26899) Clinical Trials (138) Developmental Biology (13965) Ecology (21005) Epidemiology (2067) Evolutionary Biology (25455) Genetics (16166) Genomics (23507) Immunology (18705) Microbiology (42503) Molecular Biology (18059) Neuroscience (93451) Paleontology (700) Pathology (2977) Pharmacology and Toxicology (5095) Physiology (8114) Plant Biology (15999) Scientific Communication and Education (2095) Synthetic Biology (4560) Systems Biology (10235) Zoology (2391)
## Related Clinical Research

- [Reinforced-count simulation: calibrating decisions under over-dispersed multi-type service demand](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/plos-one-3-reinforced-count-simulation-for-decision-calibration-under-over-dispersed-multi.md)
- [Psychometric validation of the Patient-Centered Communication Scale (PCCS) in Iranian clinical nur](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/plos-one-7-psychometric-features-of-the-patient-centered-communication-scale-among-iranian.md)
- [Drivers of patient satisfaction in Scottish general practice: deprivation, rurality and practice s](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/bmj-open-13-patient-satisfaction-with-general-practice-in-scotland-secular-trends-and.md)
- [Bacterial secreted products selectively inhibit non-symbiotic fungi in stingless bee larval diet](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-9-bacterial-secreted-products-selectively-inhibit-non-symbiotic-fungi-in-bees.md)
- [H2Aub-centered chromatin polyvalency controls temporal gene regulation and organogenesis](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-12-hierarchical-chromatin-polyvalency-governs-robust-gene-regulation-and.md)

## Navigation
- [← Back to General Feed](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/general.md)
- [← All Clinical Specialties](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed.md)
## Medical & Regulatory Disclaimer

> [!CAUTION]
> MedicHelpline content is structured for research, educational, and professional discovery purposes. It does not constitute individual medical advice, clinical diagnosis, or treatment recommendations.
> Always verify dosing, contraindications, and regulatory alerts against official product labeling and primary regulatory sources before clinical decision-making.