Fungal elemental profiling unleashed through rapid laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Elemental profiling (ionomics) of fungi is understudied for biological questions.
• Traditional methods like ICP-MS/OES are laborious, costly, and have limitations.
• Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a sensitive, cost-effective alternative for elemental analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess LIBS for elemental profiling of axenic filamentous fungal isolates.
• To determine if LIBS can differentiate fungal species based on elemental composition.
• To explore LIBS as a rapid phenotyping tool for fungi.

Main Methods:

• Applied LIBS to two distinct fungal species grown on nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor media.
• Analyzed elemental uptake, focusing on key elements like C, Zn, P, Mn, and Mg.
• Compared elemental profiles between species and across different growth media.

Main Results:

• LIBS successfully detected distinct elemental profiles for fungal species.
• Elemental profiles correlated with fungal species, not substrate media.
• Identified shared uptake of C, Zn, P, Mn, and Mg in the same fungal strains.

Conclusions:

• LIBS is a viable, rapid technique for elemental phenotyping of fungi.
• Fungal species possess unique elemental signatures, crucial for survival and propagation.
• This approach aids in understanding fungal behavior and environmental interactions.