Transcriptome and metabolome analyses of the effects of chemical elicitation on antifungal metabolite production in marine-derived Pseudonocardia

In this study, chemical elicitation was used to induce antifungal activity in four Pseudonocardia species. Pseudonocardia sediminis showed reproducible inhibition of Candida albicans, which was enhanced by sodium butyrate (NaBu) and lanthanum chloride (LaCl3). Transcriptomic profiling revealed distinct elicitor-specific responses. NaBu elicited limited transcriptional changes primarily associated with central metabolism and precursor supply, whereas LaCl3 triggered a broad transcriptional response, including the upregulation of genes within a specific biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC).