Thiamine cross-feeding drives microbial coexistence in the leaf microbiome
Abstract
Microbiome homeostasis is crucial for host health and ecosystem function, yet the molecular and ecological mechanisms underlying community assembly and stability remain elusive. Here we uncover a conserved yeast–oomycete association that promotes their coexistence in the leaf microbiome. Using a continental-scale microbiome survey, we identified an asymmetric mutualistic interaction between two eukaryotic hub microbes: the yeast Dioszegia hungarica and the obligate oomycete Albugo laibachii. We show that Dioszegia facilitates Albugo colonization by supplying thiamine via a dedicated membrane permease, alleviating Albugo’s auxotrophy. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses indicate that natural selection has acted on thiamine production in Dioszegia, shaping this metabolic complementation. In planta assays further suggest that Albugo presence supports Dioszegia persistence under glasshouse conditions. Our study illustrates how the evolution of nutrient cross-feeding mediates microbial coexistence and microbiome stability. Targeting microbial nutrient flows offers new strategies for engineering microbiomes and enhancing plant resilience in natural and agricultural systems.
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BibTeX
@article{hu2026thiamine,
title = {{Thiamine cross-feeding drives microbial coexistence in the leaf microbiome}},
author = {Yiheng Hu and Johanna Bode and Daniel Gómez-Pérez and Marco Alexandre Guerreiro and Alfredo Mari and Kun Wang and Sinja Niemann and Maryam Mahmoudi and Ariane Kemen and Paloma Duran and Oskar Wacker and Daniel Straub and Sven Nahnsen and Benjamin Schwessinger and Fabrice Roux and Carlos Alonso-Blanco and Jon Ågren and Stéphane Hacquard and Eva H Stukenbrock and Eric Kemen},
journal = {Nature Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41564-026-02499-w},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05805660v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Thiamine cross-feeding drives microbial coexistence in the leaf microbiome
AU - Yiheng Hu
AU - Johanna Bode
AU - Daniel Gómez-Pérez
AU - Marco Alexandre Guerreiro
AU - Alfredo Mari
AU - Kun Wang
AU - Sinja Niemann
AU - Maryam Mahmoudi
AU - Ariane Kemen
AU - Paloma Duran
AU - Oskar Wacker
AU - Daniel Straub
AU - Sven Nahnsen
AU - Benjamin Schwessinger
AU - Fabrice Roux
AU - Carlos Alonso-Blanco
AU - Jon Ågren
AU - Stéphane Hacquard
AU - Eva H Stukenbrock
AU - Eric Kemen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Nature Microbiology
DO - 10.1038/s41564-026-02499-w
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05805660v1
AB - Microbiome homeostasis is crucial for host health and ecosystem function, yet the molecular and ecological mechanisms underlying community assembly and stability remain elusive. Here we uncover a conserved yeast–oomycete association that promotes their coexistence in the leaf microbiome. Using a continental-scale microbiome survey, we identified an asymmetric mutualistic interaction between two eukaryotic hub microbes: the yeast Dioszegia hungarica and the obligate oomycete Albugo laibachii. We show that Dioszegia facilitates Albugo colonization by supplying thiamine via a dedicated membrane permease, alleviating Albugo’s auxotrophy. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses indicate that natural selection has acted on thiamine production in Dioszegia, shaping this metabolic complementation. In planta assays further suggest that Albugo presence supports Dioszegia persistence under glasshouse conditions. Our study illustrates how the evolution of nutrient cross-feeding mediates microbial coexistence and microbiome stability. Targeting microbial nutrient flows offers new strategies for engineering microbiomes and enhancing plant resilience in natural and agricultural systems.
SN - 2058-5276
SN - 2058-5276
ER -