Fungal bulking is caused by fungi excessive growth and morphological changes, resulting from the evolution toward fungi dominant activated sludge. Communication across fungi and bacteria boundary that mediated by bacterial signal molecules (SMs) probably is the central induce caused fungal bulking occurrence. In this work, it intended to identify the bacterial SM that affected fungal bulking, and verified its roles in regulate the spore germination and hyphal growth. We found C12-HSL concentration decreased significantly from 12.36 to 3.38 ng/g-VSS (P < 0.05) when fungal sludge bulking happened, and filamentous Galactomyces 's relatively abundant was correlatively enriched. To test the effects of this SM, trace commercial C12-HSL was added to pure cultured Galactomyces , in which spore germination rates decreased by 20 % and hyphal extension inhibited by 15 %. Ras1-cAMP-PKA and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways of Galactomyces were responsible for signal C12-HSL transduction, which inhibited peroxisome biosynthesis, suppressed the biological activity of the actin cytoskeleton, and disrupted intercellular organelle transport. All these results showed C12-HSL was the functional SM that could suppress the development of fungal filamentous. This study provided a new insight into the sludge bulking mechanism from view of cross-kingdom communication. [Display omitted] • The functional C12-HSL decreased with the occurrence of Galactomyces ' bulking. • C12-HSL suppressed spore germination and hyphal polar growth of Galactomyces. • The Ras1-cAMP-PKA signal transduction and MAPK pathway were inhibited by C12-HSL. • The biosynthesis of actin cytoskeleton and peroxisome was disturbed by C12-HSL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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