Metal adaptation and transport in hyphae of the wood-rot fungus Schizophyllum commune

Fungi living in heavy metals and radionuclides contaminated environments, namely the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone need to be able to cope with these pollutants. In this study, the wood-rot fungus Schizophyllum commune was investigated for its metal tolerance mechanisms, and for its ability to transport such metals through its hyphae. Effects of temperature and pH on tolerance of Cs, Sr, Cd, and Zn were tested. At concentrations allowing for half-maximal growth, adapted strains were raised. The strontium-adapted strain, S. commune 12–43 Sr, showed transport of specifically Sr over distances on a cm-scale using split plates. The adaptation did not yield changes in cell or colony morphology. Intracellular metal localization was not changed, and gene expression profiles under metal stress growing on soil versus artificial medium showed a higher impact of a structured surface for growth on soil than with different metal concentrations. In the transcriptome, transporter genes were mostly down-regulated, while up-regulation was seen for genes involved in the secretory pathway under metal stress. A comparison of wildtype and adapted strains could confirm lower cellular stress levels leading to lack of glutathione S-transferase up-regulation in the adapted strain. Thus, we could show metal transport as well as specific mechanisms in metal stress avoidance.