Summary: | Quorum sensing (QS) is a cellular strategy of communication between intra- and inter-specific microorganisms, characterized by the release of quorum sensing molecules (QSMs) that achieve coordination to adaptation to the environment. In <i>Aspergillus</i>, lipids carry population density-mediated stresses, and their oxidative metabolite oxylipins act as signaling to transmit information inside cells to regulate fungal development in a synchronized way. In this study, we investigated the regulation of density-dependent lipid metabolism in the toxigenic fungi <i>Aspergillus ochraceus</i> by the oxidative lipid metabolomics in conjunction with transcriptomics. In addition to proven hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids (HODEs), prostaglandins (PGs) also appear to have the properties of QSM. As a class of signaling molecule, oxylipins regulate the fungal morphology, secondary metabolism, and host infection through the G protein signaling pathway. The results of combined omics lay a foundation for further verification of oxylipin function, which is expected to elucidate the complex adaptability mechanism in <i>Aspergillus</i> and realize fungal utilization and damage control.
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