High-Throughput Volatilome Fingerprint Using PTR–ToF–MS Shows Species-Specific Patterns in Mortierella and Closely Related Genera
Anusha Telagathoti, Maraike Probst, Iuliia Khomenko, Franco Biasioli, Ursula Peintner · 2021 · 14 citationsRead the paper
In ecology, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) have a high bioactive and signaling potential. VOCs are not only metabolic products, but are also relevant in microbial cross talk and plant interaction. Here, we report the first large-scale VOC study of 13 different species of Mortierella sensu lato (s.l.) isolated from a range of different alpine environments. Proton Transfer Reaction–Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR–ToF–MS) was applied for a rapid, high-throughput and non-invasive VOC fingerprinting of 72 Mortierella s.l. isolates growing under standardized conditions. Overall, we detected 139 mass peaks in the headspaces of all 13 Mortierella s.l. species studied here. Thus, Mortierellas.l. species generally produce a high number of different VOCs. Mortierella species could clearly be discriminated based on their volatilomes, even if only high-concentration mass peaks were considered. The volatilomes were partially phylogenetically conserved. There were no VOCs produced by only one species, but the relative concentrations of VOCs differed between species. From a univariate perspective, we detected mass peaks with distinctively high concentrations in single species. Here, we provide initial evidence that VOCs may provide a competitive advantage and modulate Mortierella s.l. species distribution on a global scale.
What the full text shows
Shown in the lab- Mortierella s.l. species can be discriminated based on their volatilomes, with species differences accounting for 28% of the dataset's variance. — 28% of variance (72 isolates of 13 species grown under standardized conditions)
- Species-specific mass peaks are characterized by significantly higher concentrations rather than exclusive production. — 100- to 1000-fold higher concentrations in one species vs others (PTR-ToF-MS analysis of 139 mass peaks)
- The majority of detected VOCs were produced by all 13 species studied. — 134 out of 139 mass peaks (Across all specimens)
- Volatilomes are partially phylogenetically conserved, with within-species distances generally smaller than between-species distances. (Comparison of VOC concentrations and ITS sequence phylogeny)
- Location, season, and isolation matrix did not significantly impact the volatilome variance. — R^2 < 0.05 (Standardized cultivation of isolates from various alpine environments)
- Setup
- 72 isolates representing 13 Mortierella s.l. species isolated from alpine soils in Austria; 3 technical replicates per strain; 5 mL PDA slant agar media.
- How
- The researchers used Proton Transfer Reaction–Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR–ToF–MS) for real-time, non-invasive VOC fingerprinting of fungal headspaces. Data was analyzed using Euclidean distance matrices, Adonis (PERMANOVA), and Kruskal-Wallis tests to determine species discrimination and variance.
- Limitations
- PTR-ToF-MS cannot distinguish between compounds with equal masses (isomers). · High within-species heterogeneity observed in some clades (e.g., E. parvispora). · Chemical identification of mass peaks is tentative based on databases rather than absolute. · No VOCs were found to be produced exclusively by a single species.
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