The endohyphal microbiome: current progress and challenges for scaling down integrative multi-omic microbiome...

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Mycology
• Eukaryotic Microbiology

Background:

• Eukaryotic organisms host diverse microbiomes, with fungi recently recognized as holobionts harboring endohyphal communities.
• These endohyphal microbiomes within fungi can include bacteria, viruses, other fungi, and algae within hyphae.
• Investigating these complex fungal-associated microbial communities is crucial for understanding host-microbe interactions.

Discussion:

• Multi-omic approaches are increasingly used to study endohyphal microbiomes.
• Challenges exist in applying integrative multi-omics to small-scale microbiomes, such as those within fungal hyphae.
• Standardization of tools and techniques is lacking for endohyphal microbiome research.

Key Insights:

• Understanding the diversity and function of endohyphal microbiomes is essential.
• These fungal microbiomes can influence broader microbial community dynamics and ecological functions.
• Studying "microbiomes within microbiomes" offers insights into complex ecological interactions.

Outlook:

• Developing standardized tools and techniques for integrative multi-omics is a priority.
• Addressing challenges in sample extraction, preparation, and data analysis will advance endohyphal microbiome research.
• This research will provide a roadmap for investigating smaller-scale microbiome systems and their ecological significance.