Understudied gut fungus may help repair radiation-damaged DNA and limit intestinal injury https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-understudied-gut-fungus-dna-limit.html A gut symbiotic filamentous fungus reprograms host metabolism and the microbiota to confer radioprotection https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2608386123 Mucor racemosus as a key player: The fungus produces essential amino acids that directly support host DNA repair and secretes methylthioadenosine to modulate the gut bacterial community — especially promoting the growth of Limosilactobacillus reuteri—thereby enhancing sulfur metabolism and the production of radioprotective methionine