{
  "id": 12281110,
  "title": "Deciphering efficient metabolic pathways in an anaerobic gut fungus coupled with a syntrophic methanogen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/deciphering-efficient-metabolic-pathways-in-an-anaerobic-gut-fungus",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.04.756520v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Anaerobic gut fungi (AGF) are vital components of the herbivore gut microbiome, primarily responsible for breaking down lignocellulose and establishing syntrophic associations with methanogens. These relationships prove advantageous for AGF activity by mitigating feedback inhibition. However, the thermodynamic benefits of methanogens' presence to AGF are not fully comprehended. This study investigates the preferred metabolic pathways of Cyllamyces sp. and Methanobrevibacter olleyae by using 13C-glucose as a substrate, spiked with malate and pyruvate in various experimental setups. The findings demonstrated that Cyllamyces sp. exhibited reduced biomass formation in monoxenic culture with M. olleyae compared to axenic AGF culture supplemented with glucose. Moreover, metabolic analyses unveiled pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFO) as a crucial factor in pyruvate metabolism. Supplementing with malate notably boosted the growth of both Cyllamyces sp. and M. olleyae, while pyruvate supplementation only increased Cyllamyces sp. growth in axenic culture. This research offers insights into the favored metabolic pathways in the hydrogenosomes of axenic AGF cultures and monoxenic AGF-methanogen co-cultures.",
  "summary": "Anaerobic gut fungi (AGF) are an integral part of the herbivore gut microbiome, primary decomposers of lignocellulose, and play a crucial role in establishing foundational links of syntrophic associations. The syntrophy with methanogens appears beneficial for mitigating feedback inhibition and results in the augmentation of AGF activity. However, the thermodynamic advantages of the presence of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}