A Group III histidine kinase (mhk1) upstream of high-osmolarity glycerol pathway regulates sporulation, multi-stress tolerance and virulence of Metarhizium robertsii, a fungal entomopathogen

The sensor histidine kinase (SLN1) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC1) coordinately regulate the response of Neurospora crassa to the springtail Sinella curviseta (Collembola: Entomobryidae) attack

IMPORTANCE

Understanding the regulatory pathways by which fungi respond to environmental signals through interlinked genes provides insights into the interactions between fungi and insects. The coordinated optimization of the regulatory networks is necessary for fungi to adapt to their habitats. We demonstrated that the synergistic regulation of sensor histidine kinase (SLN1) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC1) plays a critical role in regulating the fungal response to Sinella curviseta stress. Furthermore, we found that the enhanced production of trehalose, carotenoids, and 5-MTHF plays crucial role in the resistance to the fungivore. Our results provide insights into the understanding of the adaptation of N. crassa to environmental stimuli.

Enhancing the Biocontrol Potential of the Entomopathogenic Fungus in Multiple Respects via the Overexpression of a Transcription Factor Gene MaSom1

Entomopathogenic fungi play important roles in the control of populations of agricultural and disease vector pests in nature. The shortcomings of mycoinsecticides for pest management in the field cannot be completely overcome by improving single biocontrol properties of fungi. Therefore, enhancing the biocontrol potential of entomopathogenic fungi in multiple respects by genetic engineering is desirable. Transcription factors are usually involved in various important processes during fungal growth and pathogenesis via regulating a series of genes, and are important candidates for fungal improvement via genetic engineering. Herein, overexpression of MaSom1, a key transcription factor gene in the cAMP/PKA pathway, improves the biocontrol traits of Metarhizium acridum in multiple respects. When compared with WT, the MaSom1-overexpression strains exhibit enhanced tolerances to UV-B and heat shock, with increased mean 50% inhibition times by 66.9% and 155.2%, respectively. Advanced conidiation emerged accompanied by increased conidial yield up to 3.89 times after 3-day incubation for the MaSom1-overexpression strains compared to WT. Furthermore, when compared with WT, the virulence of the MaSom1-overexpression strains was also increased with the mean 50% lethality times reduced by 21.8% to 23.8%. Taken together, the MaSom1-overexpression improved the biocontrol potential of M. acridum in multiple respects. Our results provide insights into the application of key transcription factors for genetic engineering and offer a credible way to further improve the biocontrol potential of entomopathogenic fungi.

Molecular basis and regulatory mechanisms underlying fungal insecticides' resistance to solar ultraviolet irradiation

Resistance to solar ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is crucial for field-persistent control efficacies of fungal formulations against arthropod pests, because their active ingredients are formulated conidia very sensitive to solar UV wavelengths. This review seeks to summarize advances in studies aiming to quantify, understand and improve conidial UV resistance. One focus of studies has been on the many sets of genes that have been revealed in the postgenomic era to contribute to or mediate UV resistance in the insect pathogens serving as main sources of fungal insecticides. Such genetic studies have unveiled the broad basis of UV-resistant molecules including cytosolic solutes, cell wall components, various antioxidant enzymes, and numerous effectors and signaling proteins, that function in developmental, biosynthetic and stress-responsive pathways. Another focus has been on the molecular basis and regulatory mechanisms underlying photorepair of UV-induced DNA lesions and photoreactivation of UV-impaired conidia. Studies have shed light upon a photoprotective mechanism depending on not only one or two photorepair-required photolyases, but also two white collar proteins and other partners that play similar or more important roles in photorepair via interactions with photolyases. Research hotspots are suggested to explore a regulatory network of fungal photoprotection and to improve the development and application strategies of UV-resistant fungal insecticides. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Functional dissection of individual domains in group III histidine kinase Sshk1p from the phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

A conserved kinase domain and phosphoryl group receiver domain at the C-terminus and poly-HAMP domains at the N-terminus comprise the structural components of the group III HK which was considered as a potential antifungal target. However, the roles of individual domains in the function of group III HKs have rarely been dissected in fungi. In this study, we dissected the roles of individual domains to better understand the function of Sshk1p, a group III HK from Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The results suggest that individual domains play different roles in the functionality of Sshk1p and are implicated in the regulation of mycelial growth, sclerotia formation, pathogenicity. And the mutants of each domain in Sshk1 showed significantly increased sensitivity to hyperosmotic stress. However, the mutants of each domain in Sshk1 showed high resistance to fludioxonil and dimethachlon which suggested that all nine domains of Sshk1p were indispensable for susceptibility to fludioxonil and dimethachlon. Moreover, deletion of each individual domain in Sshk1 cancelled intracellular glycerol accumulation and increased SsHog1p phosphorylation level triggered by NaCl and fludioxonil, suggesting that all the domains of Sshk1 were essential for Sshk1-mediated SsHog1p phosphorylation and subsequent polyol accumulation in response to fludioxonil and hyperosmotic stress.

Phenotypic and molecular insights into heat tolerance of formulated cells as active ingredients of fungal insecticides

Formulated conidia of insect-pathogenic fungi, such as Beauveria and Metarhizium, serve as the active ingredients of fungal insecticides but are highly sensitive to persistent high temperatures (32-35 °C) that can be beyond their upper thermal limits especially in tropical areas and during summer months. Fungal heat tolerance and inter- or intra-specific variability are critical factors and limitations to field applications of fungal pesticides during seasons favoring outbreaks of pest populations. The past decades have witnessed tremendous advances in improving fungal pesticides through selection of heat-tolerant strains from natural isolates, improvements and innovations in terms of solid-state fermentation technologies for the production of more heat-tolerant conidia, and the use of genetic engineering of candidate strains for enhancing heat tolerance. More recently, with the entry into a post-genomic era, a large number of signaling and effector genes have been characterized as important sustainers of heat tolerance in both Beauveria and Metarhizium, which represent the main species used as fungal pesticides worldwide. This review focuses on recent advances and provides an overview into the broad molecular basis of fungal heat tolerance and its multiple regulatory pathways. Emphases are placed on approaches for screening of heat-tolerant strains, methods for optimizing conidial quality linked to virulence and heat tolerance particularly involving cell wall architecture and optimized trehalose/mannitol contents, and how molecular determinants can be exploited for genetic improvement of heat tolerance and pest-control potential. Examples of fungal pesticides with different host spectra and their appropriateness for use in apiculture are given. KEY POINTS: • Heat tolerance is critical for field stability and efficacy of fungal insecticides. • Inter- and intra-specific variability exists in insect-pathogenic fungi. • Optimized production technology and biotechnology can improve heat tolerance. • Fungal heat tolerance is orchestrated by multiple molecular pathways.

The velvet protein VeA functions in asexual cycle, stress tolerance and transcriptional regulation of Beauveria bassiana

VeA is a key velvet protein that regulates sexual/asexual development and secondary metabolism in filamentous fungi, particularly Aspergilli, but has not been explored yet in asexual insect mycopathogens, such as Beauveria bassiana. Here, we report a localization of B. bassiana VeA in the cytoplasm of hyphal cells exposed to either light or dark cue and its migration to the nucleus only in darkness. Deletion of veA resulted in facilitated hyphal growth and decreased cell length on rich media, light growth defects on scant media, and increased sensitivities to oxidation, high osmolarity and prolonged heat shock during colony growth. Compared to wild-type, the deletion mutant was much more triggered in conidiation at optimal 25 °C in darkness than in a light/dark (L:D) cycle of 12:12, indicating the role of VeA acting as a negative regulator of conidiation in a light-dependent manner. The mutant conidia produced at L:D 12:12 showed defects in germination, thermotolerance and UVB resistance but no change in virulence, contrasting to attenuated virulence for the mutant conidia produced in darkness. Intriguingly, fungal outgrowth and conidiation were markedly suppressed on the surfaces of the mutant-mummified insect cadavers, suggesting a significant role of VeA in fungal survival, dispersal and prevalence in host habitats. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 1248 and 1183 differentially expressed genes in the deletion mutant versus wild-type grown at L:D 0:24 and 12:12 respectively, including those involved in central developmental pathway and secondary metabolism. Altogether, VeA is functionally involved in asexual cycle, stress tolerance and transcriptional regulation of B. bassiana.

Two Photolyases Repair Distinct DNA Lesions and Reactivate UVB-Inactivated Conidia of an Insect Mycopathogen under Visible Light

Fungal conidia serve as active ingredients of fungal insecticides but are sensitive to solar UV irradiation, which impairs double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) by inducing the production of cytotoxic cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and (6-4)-pyrimidine-pyrimidine photoproducts (6-4PPs). This study aims to elucidate how CPD photolyase (Phr1) and 6-4PP photolyase (Phr2) repair DNA damage and photoreactivate UVB-inactivated cells in Beauveria bassiana, a main source of fungal insecticides. Both Phr1 and Phr2 are proven to exclusively localize in the fungal nuclei. Despite little influence on growth, conidiation, and virulence, singular deletions of phr1 and phr2 resulted in respective reductions of 38% and 19% in conidial tolerance to UVB irradiation, a sunlight component most harmful to formulated conidia. CPDs and 6-4PPs accumulated significantly more in the cells of Δphr1 and Δphr2 mutants than in those of a wild-type strain under lethal UVB irradiation and were largely or completely repaired by Phr1 in the Δphr2 mutant and Phr2 in the Δphr1 mutant after optimal 5-h exposure to visible light. Consequently, UVB-inactivated conidia of the Δphr1 and Δphr2 mutants were much less efficiently photoreactivated than were the wild-type counterparts. In contrast, overexpression of either phr1 or phr2 in the wild-type strain resulted in marked increases in both conidial UVB resistance and photoreactivation efficiency. These findings indicate essential roles of Phr1 and Phr2 in photoprotection of B. bassiana from UVB damage and unveil exploitable values of both photolyase genes for improved UVB resistance and application strategy of fungal insecticides.IMPORTANCE Protecting fungal cells from damage from solar UVB irradiation is critical for development and application of fungal insecticides but is mechanistically not understood in Beauveria bassiana, a classic insect pathogen. We unveil that two intranuclear photolyases, Phr1 and Phr2, play essential roles in repairing UVB-induced dsDNA lesions through respective decomposition of cytotoxic cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and (6-4)-pyrimidine-pyrimidine photoproducts, hence reactivating UVB-inactivated cells effectively under visible light. Our findings shed light on the high potential of both photolyase genes for use in improving UVB resistance and application strategy of fungal insecticides.

Entomopathogenic Fungi: New Insights into Host-Pathogen Interactions

Although many insects successfully live in dangerous environments exposed to diverse communities of microbes, they are often exploited and killed by specialist pathogens. Studies of host-pathogen interactions (HPI) provide valuable insights into the dynamics of the highly aggressive coevolutionary arms race between entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) and their arthropod hosts. The host defenses are designed to exclude the pathogen or mitigate the damage inflicted while the pathogen responds with immune evasion and utilization of host resources. EPF neutralize their immediate surroundings on the insect integument and benefit from the physiochemical properties of the cuticle and its compounds that exclude competing microbes. EPF also exhibit adaptations aimed at minimizing trauma that can be deleterious to both host and pathogen (eg, melanization of hemolymph), form narrow penetration pegs that alleviate host dehydration and produce blastospores that lack immunogenic sugars/enzymes but facilitate rapid assimilation of hemolymph nutrients. In response, insects deploy an extensive armory of hemocytes and macromolecules, such as lectins and phenoloxidase, that repel, immobilize, and kill EPF. New evidence suggests that immune bioactives work synergistically (eg, lysozyme with antimicrobial peptides) to combat infections. Some proteins, including transferrin and apolipophorin III, also demonstrate multifunctional properties, participating in metabolism, homeostasis, and pathogen recognition. This review discusses the molecular intricacies of these HPI, highlighting the interplay between immunity, stress management, and metabolism. Increased knowledge in this area could enhance the efficacy of EPF, ensuring their future in integrated pest management programs.

Comparative genome analysis of entomopathogenic fungi reveals a complex set of secreted proteins

Background

Metarhizium anisopliae is an entomopathogenic fungus used in the biological control of some agricultural insect pests, and efforts are underway to use this fungus in the control of insect-borne human diseases. A large repertoire of proteins must be secreted by M. anisopliae to cope with the various available nutrients as this fungus switches through different lifestyles, i.e., from a saprophytic, to an infectious, to a plant endophytic stage. To further evaluate the predicted secretome of M. anisopliae, we employed genomic and transcriptomic analyses, coupled with phylogenomic analysis, focusing on the identification and characterization of secreted proteins.

Results

We determined the M. anisopliae E6 genome sequence and compared this sequence to other entomopathogenic fungi genomes. A robust pipeline was generated to evaluate the predicted secretomes of M. anisopliae and 15 other filamentous fungi, leading to the identification of a core of secreted proteins. Transcriptomic analysis using the tick Rhipicephalus microplus cuticle as an infection model during two periods of infection (48 and 144 h) allowed the identification of several differentially expressed genes. This analysis concluded that a large proportion of the predicted secretome coding genes contained altered transcript levels in the conditions analyzed in this study. In addition, some specific secreted proteins from Metarhizium have an evolutionary history similar to orthologs found in Beauveria/Cordyceps. This similarity suggests that a set of secreted proteins has evolved to participate in entomopathogenicity.

Conclusions

The data presented represents an important step to the characterization of the role of secreted proteins in the virulence and pathogenicity of M. anisopliae.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-822) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bbssk1, a response regulator required for conidiation, multi-stress tolerance, and virulence of Beauveria bassiana

Ssk1-type response regulator proteins are the core elements of histidine-to-aspartate systems that mediate fungal stress tolerance, a determinant to the biocontrol potential of fungal entomopathogens. We characterized the functions of Beauveria bassiana Ssk1 (Bbssk1) by analyzing multi-phenotypic changes in ΔBbssk1 and differentially expressed genes in the digital gene expression (DGE) libraries of ΔBbssk1 and wild-type constructed under osmotic stress. The Bbssk1 disruption caused 25 % reductions in conidial yield and virulence to Spodoptera litura larvae and significant defects in tolerances to two osmotic salts (81-84 %), H2O2 oxidation (23 %), two fungicides (21-58 %), three cell wall biosynthesis inhibitors (25-36 %), and three metal ions (~8 %) during colony growth, respectively, but little changes in cell sensitivity to menadione oxidation and in conidial thermotolerance and UV-B resistance. RNA-seq analysis with the DGE libraries revealed differential expressions of 1,003 genes in the ΔBbssk1 genome. Of those, many associated with conidiation, stress response, xenobiotic transport, cell wall integrity, and protein/carbohydrate metabolism were remarkably down-regulated, including the genes involved in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal pathway that downstream of Bbssk1. Our results indicate that Bbssk1 regulates positively the expressions of the MAPK cascade in the pathway of B. bassiana and many more downstream genes associated with conidiation, multi-stress tolerance, and virulence.

Insight into the transcriptional regulation of Msn2 required for conidiation, multi-stress responses and virulence of two entomopathogenic fungi

Msn2/4 transcription factors in some fungi have null effects on virulence and cellular stress responses. Here we found that the transcriptional regulation of Msn2 orthologs is vital for the conidiation, virulence and multi-stress responses of Beauveria bassiana (Bb) and Metarhizium robertsii (Mr), which lack Msn4 orthologs. Compared to wild-type and complemented strains of each fungus with all similar phenotypes, ΔBbmsn2 and ΔMrmsn2 showed remarkable defects in conidial yield (∼40% decrease) and virulence (∼25% decrease). Both delta mutants lost 20-65% of their tolerances to hyperosmolarity, oxidation, carbendazim, cell wall perturbing and high temperature at 34 °C during colony growth. Their conidia were also significantly (18-41%) less tolerant to oxidation, hyperosmolarity, wet-heat stress at 45 °C and UV-B irradiation. Accompanied with the defective phenotypes, several conidiation- and virulence-associated genes were greatly repressed in ΔBbmsn2 and ΔMrmsn2. Moreover, differentially expressed genes in the transcriptomes of ΔBbmsn2 versus wild type were ∼3% more under oxidative stress, but ∼12% fewer under heat shock, than those in the ΔMrmsn2 counterparts. Many stress-responsive effector genes and cellular signaling factors were remarkably downregulated. Taken together, the two entomopathogens could have evolved somewhat distinct stress-responsive mechanisms finely tuned by Msn2, highlighting the biological significance of Msn2 orthologs for filamentous fungi.