C. Hertweck

Ubiquitous bacterial polyketides induce cross-kingdom microbial interactions

The paper identifies arginine-derived polyketides as bacterial signals that induce natural product production in fungi, revealing cross-kingdom microbial interactions in soil ecosystems.

Toxin-producing endosymbionts shield pathogenic fungus against micropredators

This study shows that rhizoxin, produced by a bacterial endosymbiont in the fungus Rhizopus microsporus, protects the fungus from protozoan and nematode predators.

A polyyne toxin produced by an antagonistic bacterium blinds and lyses a green microalga

This study identifies a polyyne toxin produced by Pseudomonas protegens that blinds and lyses Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by targeting its eyespot, alongside orfamide A, to disrupt phototaxis.

Exploration of polyyne biosynthetic gene cluster diversity in bacteria leads to the discovery of the Pseudomonas polyyne protegencin

The paper explores polyyne biosynthetic gene clusters in bacteria, identifies a conserved seven-gene cassette in Pseudomonas, and discovers the metabolite protegencin.

Food-Poisoning Bacteria Employ a Citrate Synthase and a Type II NRPS to Synthesize Bolaamphiphilic Lipopeptide Antibiotics

The paper identifies a citrate synthase and type II NRPS in Burkholderia gladioli pv. cocovenenans responsible for synthesizing bolaamphiphilic lipopeptide antibiotics.

Secreted TAL effectors protect symbiotic bacteria from entrapment within fungal hyphae

The paper shows that BAT proteins from Burkholderia rhizoxinica prevent entrapment of endosymbionts in fungal hyphae, ensuring their survival and symbiosis.

Highly parallelized microfluidic droplet cultivation and prioritization on antibiotic producers from complex natural microbial communities

This paper develops a microfluidic droplet system to cultivate and screen antibiotic-producing bacteria from complex microbial communities, identifying rare strains with antimicrobial activity.

Horizontal gene transfer to a defensive symbiont with a reduced genome amongst a multipartite beetle microbiome

The paper identifies a reduced-genome symbiont in a beetle microbiome that acquired defensive gene clusters through horizontal transfer before genome reduction.

Metabolic pathway rerouting in Paraburkholderia rhizoxinica evolved long-overlooked derivatives of coenzyme F420

The paper identifies novel F420 derivatives in Paraburkholderia rhizoxinica, reveals their biosynthesis pathway, and demonstrates their functional activity and potential for biocatalysis.