Dual-purpose isocyanides produced by <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> contribute to cellular copper sufficiency and exhibit antimicrobial activity

Significance Metal homeostasis is an integral part of metabolism for any organism. A vast array natural products are already known to mediate iron in fungi and bacteria; however, unlike their bacterial counterparts, date, there no fungal small molecules that function maintain copper homeostasis. Discovery copper-binding xanthocillins produced by Aspergillus fumigatus gives insight into mechanisms other than the extensively studied transporters or metalloproteins how can regulate copper. This has important ecological implications, as securing scarce nutrients central fitness survival. Conservation xanthocillin biosynthetic machinery across filamentous taxa offers a new paradigm eukaryotic metal