---
_id: '14479'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'In animals, parasitic infections impose significant fitness costs.1,2,3,4,5,6
    Infected animals can alter their feeding behavior to resist infection,7,8,9,10,11,12
    but parasites can manipulate animal foraging behavior to their own benefits.13,14,15,16
    How nutrition influences host-parasite interactions is not well understood, as
    studies have mainly focused on the host and less on the parasite.9,12,17,18,19,20,21,22,23
    We used the nutritional geometry framework24 to investigate the role of amino
    acids (AA) and carbohydrates (C) in a host-parasite system: the Argentine ant,
    Linepithema humile, and the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium brunneum. First,
    using 18 diets varying in AA:C composition, we established that the fungus performed
    best on the high-amino-acid diet 1:4. Second, we found that the fungus reached
    this optimal diet when given various diet pairings, revealing its ability to cope
    with nutritional challenges. Third, we showed that the optimal fungal diet reduced
    the lifespan of healthy ants when compared with a high-carbohydrate diet but had
    no effect on infected ants. Fourth, we revealed that infected ant colonies, given
    a choice between the optimal fungal diet and a high-carbohydrate diet, chose the
    optimal fungal diet, whereas healthy colonies avoided it. Lastly, by disentangling
    fungal infection from host immune response, we demonstrated that infected ants
    foraged on the optimal fungal diet in response to immune activation and not as
    a result of parasite manipulation. Therefore, we revealed that infected ant colonies
    chose a diet that is costly for survival in the long term but beneficial in the
    short term—a form of collective self-medication.'
acknowledgement: We are sincerely grateful to the referees for their valuable comments
  and suggestions, which helped us to improve the paper. We are thankful to Jorgen
  Eilenberg and Nicolai V. Meyling for the fungal strain, to Simon Tragust, Abel Bernadou,
  and Brian Lazarro for insightful discussions, to Iago Sanmartín-Villar, Léa Briard,
  Céline Maitrel, and Nolwenn Rissen for their help with the experiments. Furthermore,
  we thank Anna V. Grasse for help with the immune gene expression analyses. We thank
  Sergio Ibarra for creating the graphical abstract. E.C. was supported by a Fyssen
  Foundation grant and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. A.D. was supported by
  the CNRS.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Eniko
  full_name: Csata, Eniko
  last_name: Csata
- first_name: Alfonso
  full_name: Perez-Escudero, Alfonso
  last_name: Perez-Escudero
- first_name: Emmanuel
  full_name: Laury, Emmanuel
  last_name: Laury
- first_name: Hanna
  full_name: Leitner, Hanna
  id: 8fc5c6f6-5903-11ec-abad-c83f046253e7
  last_name: Leitner
- first_name: Gerard
  full_name: Latil, Gerard
  last_name: Latil
- first_name: Juerge
  full_name: Heinze, Juerge
  last_name: Heinze
- first_name: Stephen
  full_name: Simpson, Stephen
  last_name: Simpson
- first_name: Sylvia
  full_name: Cremer, Sylvia
  id: 2F64EC8C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Cremer
  orcid: 0000-0002-2193-3868
- first_name: Audrey
  full_name: Dussutour, Audrey
  last_name: Dussutour
citation:
  ama: Csata E, Perez-Escudero A, Laury E, et al. Fungal infection alters collective
    nutritional intake of ant colonies. <i>Current Biology</i>. 2024;34(4):902-909.e6.
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017">10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017</a>
  apa: Csata, E., Perez-Escudero, A., Laury, E., Leitner, H., Latil, G., Heinze, J.,
    … Dussutour, A. (2024). Fungal infection alters collective nutritional intake
    of ant colonies. <i>Current Biology</i>. Elsevier. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017</a>
  chicago: Csata, Eniko, Alfonso Perez-Escudero, Emmanuel Laury, Hanna Leitner, Gerard
    Latil, Juerge Heinze, Stephen Simpson, Sylvia Cremer, and Audrey Dussutour. “Fungal
    Infection Alters Collective Nutritional Intake of Ant Colonies.” <i>Current Biology</i>.
    Elsevier, 2024. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017</a>.
  ieee: E. Csata <i>et al.</i>, “Fungal infection alters collective nutritional intake
    of ant colonies,” <i>Current Biology</i>, vol. 34, no. 4. Elsevier, p. 902–909.e6,
    2024.
  ista: Csata E, Perez-Escudero A, Laury E, Leitner H, Latil G, Heinze J, Simpson
    S, Cremer S, Dussutour A. 2024. Fungal infection alters collective nutritional
    intake of ant colonies. Current Biology. 34(4), 902–909.e6.
  mla: Csata, Eniko, et al. “Fungal Infection Alters Collective Nutritional Intake
    of Ant Colonies.” <i>Current Biology</i>, vol. 34, no. 4, Elsevier, 2024, p. 902–909.e6,
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017">10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017</a>.
  short: E. Csata, A. Perez-Escudero, E. Laury, H. Leitner, G. Latil, J. Heinze, S.
    Simpson, S. Cremer, A. Dussutour, Current Biology 34 (2024) 902–909.e6.
dataavailabilitystatement: no DAS
date_created: 2023-10-31T13:30:20Z
date_published: 2024-02-26T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-03-18T11:15:21Z
day: '26'
department:
- _id: SyCr
doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017
external_id:
  pmid:
  - '38307022'
intvolume: '        34'
issue: '4'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.26.564092
month: '02'
oa: 1
oa_version: Preprint
page: 902-909.e6
pmid: 1
publication: Current Biology
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1879-0445
  issn:
  - 0960-9822
  issnl:
  - 1234-5678
publication_status: published
publisher: Elsevier
quality_controlled: '1'
researchdata_availability: unclear
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
supplementarymaterial: yes
title: Fungal infection alters collective nutritional intake of ant colonies
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 34
year: '2024'
...
---
_id: '14478'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Entire chromosomes are typically only transmitted vertically from one generation
    to the next. The horizontal transfer of such chromosomes has long been considered
    improbable, yet gained recent support in several pathogenic fungi where it may
    affect the fitness or host specificity. To date, it is unknown how these transfers
    occur, how common they are and whether they can occur between different species.
    In this study, we show multiple independent instances of horizontal transfers
    of the same accessory chromosome between two distinct strains of the asexual entomopathogenic
    fungus<jats:italic>Metarhizium robertsii</jats:italic>during experimental co-infection
    of its insect host, the Argentine ant. Notably, only the one chromosome – but
    no other – was transferred from the donor to the recipient strain. The recipient
    strain, now harboring the accessory chromosome, exhibited a competitive advantage
    under certain host conditions. By phylogenetic analysis we further demonstrate
    that the same accessory chromosome was horizontally transferred in a natural environment
    between<jats:italic>M. robertsii</jats:italic>and another congeneric insect pathogen,<jats:italic>M.
    guizhouense</jats:italic>. Hence horizontal chromosome transfer is not limited
    to the observed frequent events within species during experimental infections
    but also occurs naturally across species. The transferred accessory chromosome
    contains genes that might be involved in its preferential horizontal transfer,
    encoding putative histones and histone-modifying enzymes, but also putative virulence
    factors that may support its establishment. Our study reveals that both intra-
    and interspecies horizontal transfer of entire chromosomes is more frequent than
    previously assumed, likely representing a not uncommon mechanism for gene exchange.</jats:p><jats:sec><jats:title>Significance
    Statement</jats:title><jats:p>The enormous success of bacterial pathogens has
    been attributed to their ability to exchange genetic material between one another.
    Similarly, in eukaryotes, horizontal transfer of genetic material allowed the
    spread of virulence factors across species. The horizontal transfer of whole chromosomes
    could be an important pathway for such exchange of genetic material, but little
    is known about the origin of transferable chromosomes and how frequently they
    are exchanged. Here, we show that the transfer of accessory chromosomes - chromosomes
    that are non-essential but may provide fitness benefits - is common during fungal
    co-infections and is even possible between distant pathogenic species, highlighting
    the importance of horizontal gene transfer via chromosome transfer also for the
    evolution and function of eukaryotic pathogens.
acknowledgement: We thank Bernhardt Steinwender, Jorgen Eilenberg and Nicolai V. Meyling
  for the fungal strains. We further thank Chengshu Wang for providing the short sequencing
  reads for M. guizhouense ARESF977 he used for his published genome assembly, and
  Kristian Ullrich for help in the bioinformatics analysis for methylation pattern
  in Nanopore reads, and the Vienna BioCenter and the Max Planck Society for the use
  of their sequencing centers. We thank Barbara Milutinović and Hinrich Schulenburg
  for discussion, and Tal Dagan and Jens Rolff for comments on a previous version
  of the manuscript. Fig1 A was created with BioRender.com. This study received funding
  by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research
  and Innovation Programme (No. 771402; EPIDEMICSonCHIP) to S.C. and by the German
  Research Foundation (DFG grant HA9263/1-1) to M.H.
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Michael
  full_name: Habig, Michael
  last_name: Habig
- first_name: Anna V
  full_name: Grasse, Anna V
  id: 406F989C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Grasse
- first_name: Judith
  full_name: Müller, Judith
  last_name: Müller
- first_name: Eva H.
  full_name: Stukenbrock, Eva H.
  last_name: Stukenbrock
- first_name: Hanna
  full_name: Leitner, Hanna
  id: 8fc5c6f6-5903-11ec-abad-c83f046253e7
  last_name: Leitner
- first_name: Sylvia
  full_name: Cremer, Sylvia
  id: 2F64EC8C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Cremer
  orcid: 0000-0002-2193-3868
citation:
  ama: Habig M, Grasse AV, Müller J, Stukenbrock EH, Leitner H, Cremer S. Frequent
    horizontal chromosome transfer between asexual fungal insect pathogens. <i>bioRxiv</i>.
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.18.558174">10.1101/2023.09.18.558174</a>
  apa: Habig, M., Grasse, A. V., Müller, J., Stukenbrock, E. H., Leitner, H., &#38;
    Cremer, S. (n.d.). Frequent horizontal chromosome transfer between asexual fungal
    insect pathogens. <i>bioRxiv</i>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.18.558174">https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.18.558174</a>
  chicago: Habig, Michael, Anna V Grasse, Judith Müller, Eva H. Stukenbrock, Hanna
    Leitner, and Sylvia Cremer. “Frequent Horizontal Chromosome Transfer between Asexual
    Fungal Insect Pathogens.” <i>BioRxiv</i>, n.d. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.18.558174">https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.18.558174</a>.
  ieee: M. Habig, A. V. Grasse, J. Müller, E. H. Stukenbrock, H. Leitner, and S. Cremer,
    “Frequent horizontal chromosome transfer between asexual fungal insect pathogens,”
    <i>bioRxiv</i>. .
  ista: Habig M, Grasse AV, Müller J, Stukenbrock EH, Leitner H, Cremer S. Frequent
    horizontal chromosome transfer between asexual fungal insect pathogens. bioRxiv,
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.18.558174">10.1101/2023.09.18.558174</a>.
  mla: Habig, Michael, et al. “Frequent Horizontal Chromosome Transfer between Asexual
    Fungal Insect Pathogens.” <i>BioRxiv</i>, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.18.558174">10.1101/2023.09.18.558174</a>.
  short: M. Habig, A.V. Grasse, J. Müller, E.H. Stukenbrock, H. Leitner, S. Cremer,
    BioRxiv (n.d.).
date_created: 2023-10-31T13:30:00Z
date_published: 2023-09-19T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-11-07T11:20:54Z
day: '19'
department:
- _id: SyCr
doi: 10.1101/2023.09.18.558174
ec_funded: 1
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.18.558174
month: '09'
oa: 1
oa_version: Preprint
project:
- _id: 2649B4DE-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
  call_identifier: H2020
  grant_number: '771402'
  name: Epidemics in ant societies on a chip
publication: bioRxiv
publication_status: submitted
status: public
title: Frequent horizontal chromosome transfer between asexual fungal insect pathogens
type: preprint
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
year: '2023'
...
---
_id: '1852'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: To control morphogenesis, molecular regulatory networks have to interfere
    with the mechanical properties of the individual cells of developing organs and
    tissues, but how this is achieved is not well known. We study this issue here
    in the shoot meristem of higher plants, a group of undifferentiated cells where
    complex changes in growth rates and directions lead to the continuous formation
    of new organs [1, 2]. Here, we show that the plant hormone auxin plays an important
    role in this process via a dual, local effect on the extracellular matrix, the
    cell wall, which determines cell shape. Our study reveals that auxin not only
    causes a limited reduction in wall stiffness but also directly interferes with
    wall anisotropy via the regulation of cortical microtubule dynamics. We further
    show that to induce growth isotropy and organ outgrowth, auxin somehow interferes
    with the cortical microtubule-ordering activity of a network of proteins, including
    AUXIN BINDING PROTEIN 1 and KATANIN 1. Numerical simulations further indicate
    that the induced isotropy is sufficient to amplify the effects of the relatively
    minor changes in wall stiffness to promote organogenesis and the establishment
    of new growth axes in a robust manner.
acknowledgement: 'This work was funded by grants from EraSysBio+ (iSAM) and ERC (Morphodynamics). '
author:
- first_name: Massimiliano
  full_name: Sassi, Massimiliano
  last_name: Sassi
- first_name: Olivier
  full_name: Ali, Olivier
  last_name: Ali
- first_name: Frédéric
  full_name: Boudon, Frédéric
  last_name: Boudon
- first_name: Gladys
  full_name: Cloarec, Gladys
  last_name: Cloarec
- first_name: Ursula
  full_name: Abad, Ursula
  last_name: Abad
- first_name: Coralie
  full_name: Cellier, Coralie
  last_name: Cellier
- first_name: Xu
  full_name: Chen, Xu
  id: 4E5ADCAA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Chen
- first_name: Benjamin
  full_name: Gilles, Benjamin
  last_name: Gilles
- first_name: Pascale
  full_name: Milani, Pascale
  last_name: Milani
- first_name: Jirí
  full_name: Friml, Jirí
  id: 4159519E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Friml
  orcid: 0000-0002-8302-7596
- first_name: Teva
  full_name: Vernoux, Teva
  last_name: Vernoux
- first_name: Christophe
  full_name: Godin, Christophe
  last_name: Godin
- first_name: Olivier
  full_name: Hamant, Olivier
  last_name: Hamant
- first_name: Jan
  full_name: Traas, Jan
  last_name: Traas
citation:
  ama: Sassi M, Ali O, Boudon F, et al. An auxin-mediated shift toward growth isotropy
    promotes organ formation at the shoot meristem in Arabidopsis. <i>Current Biology</i>.
    2014;24(19):2335-2342. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.036">10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.036</a>
  apa: Sassi, M., Ali, O., Boudon, F., Cloarec, G., Abad, U., Cellier, C., … Traas,
    J. (2014). An auxin-mediated shift toward growth isotropy promotes organ formation
    at the shoot meristem in Arabidopsis. <i>Current Biology</i>. Cell Press. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.036">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.036</a>
  chicago: Sassi, Massimiliano, Olivier Ali, Frédéric Boudon, Gladys Cloarec, Ursula
    Abad, Coralie Cellier, Xu Chen, et al. “An Auxin-Mediated Shift toward Growth
    Isotropy Promotes Organ Formation at the Shoot Meristem in Arabidopsis.” <i>Current
    Biology</i>. Cell Press, 2014. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.036">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.036</a>.
  ieee: M. Sassi <i>et al.</i>, “An auxin-mediated shift toward growth isotropy promotes
    organ formation at the shoot meristem in Arabidopsis,” <i>Current Biology</i>,
    vol. 24, no. 19. Cell Press, pp. 2335–2342, 2014.
  ista: Sassi M, Ali O, Boudon F, Cloarec G, Abad U, Cellier C, Chen X, Gilles B,
    Milani P, Friml J, Vernoux T, Godin C, Hamant O, Traas J. 2014. An auxin-mediated
    shift toward growth isotropy promotes organ formation at the shoot meristem in
    Arabidopsis. Current Biology. 24(19), 2335–2342.
  mla: Sassi, Massimiliano, et al. “An Auxin-Mediated Shift toward Growth Isotropy
    Promotes Organ Formation at the Shoot Meristem in Arabidopsis.” <i>Current Biology</i>,
    vol. 24, no. 19, Cell Press, 2014, pp. 2335–42, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.036">10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.036</a>.
  short: M. Sassi, O. Ali, F. Boudon, G. Cloarec, U. Abad, C. Cellier, X. Chen, B.
    Gilles, P. Milani, J. Friml, T. Vernoux, C. Godin, O. Hamant, J. Traas, Current
    Biology 24 (2014) 2335–2342.
date_created: 2018-12-11T11:54:22Z
date_published: 2014-10-06T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2021-01-12T06:53:37Z
day: '06'
department:
- _id: JiFr
doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.036
intvolume: '        24'
issue: '19'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01074821
month: '10'
oa: 1
oa_version: Submitted Version
page: 2335 - 2342
publication: Current Biology
publication_status: published
publisher: Cell Press
publist_id: '5248'
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: 1
status: public
title: An auxin-mediated shift toward growth isotropy promotes organ formation at
  the shoot meristem in Arabidopsis
type: journal_article
user_id: 4435EBFC-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 24
year: '2014'
...