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TL;DR
This preclinical study analyzed volatile compounds from *Termitomyces* fungi associated with fungus-growing termites, isolating and synthesizing drimane sesquiterpenes and testing their antimicrobial activity.
Communications Chemistry · 14 authors, 8 centres
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This preclinical study analyzed volatile compounds from *Termitomyces* fungi associated with fungus-growing termites, isolating and synthesizing drimane sesquiterpenes and testing their antimicrobial activity.
The study investigated volatile organic compounds from *Termitomyces* fungi cultivated by *Macrotermes natalensis* termites to understand chemical communication in this symbiosis. Researchers analyzed VOCs from mushrooms, fungus comb, and lab cultures, finding mushrooms emit distinct sesquiterpenoid patterns. They isolated five drimane sesquiterpenes from plate cultivations and performed total synthesis of drimenol and derivatives for structural analysis and antimicrobial testing. Heterologous expression identified an enzyme variant that catalyzes the formation of two monocyclic sesquiterpenes named nectrianolins. The study provides biochemical evidence for terpene importance in the termite-fungus symbiosis, hypothesizing that volatile drimenols may play roles in nest defense and regulating microbial growth in fungus combs, with implications for understanding chemical ecology in this mutualism.