A gut symbiotic filamentous fungus reprograms host metabolism and the microbiota to confer radioprotection

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Xiao, Huiwen; Liu, Jia; Zhao, Jiamin; Liu, Xiaojing; Wang, Bin; Zeng, Xiaozhou; Liu, Zhihong; Li, Yuan; Dong, Jiali; Cui, Ming; Liu, Xingzhong
• 署名单位: Nankai University; Tianjin University; Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences - Peking Union Medical College; Institute of Radiation Medicine - CAMS; Peking Union Medical College; Soochow University - China
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2608386123
• 发表日期: 2026-09-01
• 页码: e2608386123
• 关键词: gut filamentous fungus; Mucor racemosus; Limosilactobacillus reuteri; radioprotection; amino acid metabolism; candida-albicans; radiation; transplantation; immunity; GROWTH

摘要

The gut mycobiome is increasingly linked to host physiology, yet functional insights are dominated by yeasts, leaving the roles of filamentous fungi largely unexplored. Here, we identify Mucor racemosus as a gut-resident symbiotic filamentous fungus that establishes intestinal colonization via both hyphal and spore forms. M. racemosus confers radioprotection through an integrated metabolic program coupling direct host support with microbiota-mediated amplification. The fungus produces L-glutamate, L-aspartate, and DL-lysine, which are transferred to the host to enhance DNA damage repair in radiation-exposed intestinal epithelial cells. In parallel, M. racemosus-derived methylthioadenosine remodels the gut bacterial community by enriching Limosilactobacillus reuteri and reprogramming sulfur metabolism to generate radioprotective methionine. This coordinated fungal-bacterial metabolic axis reinforces intestinal radiotolerance. Consistent with this mechanism, dietary administration of M. racemosus-fermented cheese confers radioprotection in vivo. Together, these findings establish gut filamentous fungi as active metabolic organizers of host-microbiota interactions.