P-060 - Exposure to Fusarium volatiles significantly modifies the secreted metabolome of Trichoderma

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

9:30 AM - 10:15 AM HST

Location: Exhibit Hall 3

Author(s)

AB

Ananda Y. Bandara

The Pennsylvania State University
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania, United States
CS

Carl Schlagnhaufer

Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania, United States

Presenting Author(s)

DW

Dilooshi K. Weerasooriya

The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania, United States

Author(s)

SK

Seogchan Kang

The Pennsylvania State University
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania, United States

Abstract Text: Exposure to Fusarium volatiles alters the volatiles emitted by Trichoderma, suggesting complex chemical communication and adaptive response mechanisms between these fungi. Here, we examined how exposure to Fusarium volatiles affected the secreted metabolome (SM) of Trichoderma. PDA cultures of T. virens (Tv) were exposed to F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) and control (Con = no Fol) via sandwich plate assays. Forty hours post-exposure, metabolites secreted by Tv into PDA were extracted using water and subjected to untargeted metabolomic analysis via LC-MS. PCoA analysis showed a distinct clustering of metabolite samples from Fol and Con, indicating the profound impact of Fol exposure on the SM of Trichoderma. This was further bolstered by a significant PERMANOVA (R² = 0.82, P = 0.002) and a non-significant beta dispersion test (P = 0.228). Per the differential abundance analysis, compared to Con, Fol significantly upregulated 17 (log2FC range: 0.05 - 13.69) metabolites while downregulating 28 (log2FC range: 0.06 - 12). Mycosporine serinol, adenosine, cyclo((Leu-Pro), 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol, and L-beta-homoisoleucine were highly upregulated, whereas Di-O-methylfraxetin, D-alloisoleucine, excavatin L, and pyridoxamine were highly downregulated. The roles of many differently abundant metabolites and how they modulate Tv-Fol interactions are unknown. However, the secretion pattern of certain metabolites, such as Mycosporine serinol (involved in light-induced sporulation), suggested that exposure to Fol may increase the fitness of Tv via enhanced asexual fecundity.