Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023

Chemical Crosstalk: Metabolomics of Icelandic Lichens and Pseudomonas syringae in Lichen-Enriched Growth Media

Höfundar / Authors: Natalia Ramírez (1), Diana Vinchira-Villarraga (3), Mojgan Rabiey (2), Margrét Auður Sigurbjörnsdóttir (1), Oddur Vilhelmsson (1), Robert W. Jackson (3)

Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: (1) University of Akureyri (Iceland); (2) University of Warwick (UK); (3) University of Birmingham (UK)

Kynnir / Presenter: Natalia Ramírez

Metabolomics is the omics technology focused on detecting, identifying, and quantifying metabolites. The metabolome serves as the ultimate receiver of biological information flow and shapes the phenotype. This essay delves into analyzing with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) the metabolic profiles of distinct lichen genera to unravel differences that could influence Pseudomonas syringae colonization and survival in the endothallic environment. Additionally, we examined metabolites generated by P. syringae in the presence of various lichen species, aiming to uncover insights about their interrelation. This experiment sheds light on Peltigera lichen, which exhibits a comparatively simpler yet more abundant metabolic profile than in Cladonia and Stereocaulon. Notably, compounds like catechins, known to inhibit P. syringae growth, are absent only in the Peltigera genus. Furthermore, Peltigera is the sole genus containing guaianes, which inhibits P. syringae's competitor, Bacillus subtilis. Additionally, we exclusively identified the presence of naphthalenes in Peltigera, aligning with prior research that highlighted the existence of naphthalene degradation plasmids in P. syringae. These findings not only illuminate P. syringae's habitat preferences but also enhance our comprehension of the intricate and diverse lichen metabolome.