COLORATION TECHNOLOGY
·
2019
·Vol. 135
·期 4
·267-274
·
IF 1.241
Biaobiao Yan,Muying Yang,Qingqing Zhou,Tieling Xing,Guoqiang Chen,Jiayong Sheng
Microbial dyes have received substantial attention because of their natural environmental protection, simple access, and reduced regional and seasonal restriction. In this work, a microbial dye, the yellow pigment produced by Metarhizium anisopliae , was first studied then applied. The strain produced by the culture was identified, and the conditions for producing yellow pigment were optimised. Further, the stability of M. anisopliae yellow pigment was examined, and the pigment was applied to the dyeing of silk and wool fabrics. The results showed that the homology of the strain with M. anisopliae was 99.98%. In liquid fermentation culture, the optimal carbon source was glucose, and the dosage was 30 g/l. The maximum pigment yield can be obtained by culturing with 4% v/v of inoculation quantity at pH 7 and 30 °C. In addition, the effects of pH, temperature and metal ions on the yellow pigment of M. anisopliae were significant. The optimum dyeing process conditions were dyeing temperatures of 80 °C for silk and 90 °C for wool, with a dyeing time of 60 min. This research developed a novel microbial dye and studied its application for the dyeing of protein fibres.
研究领域:
微生物学
·
纺织科学
·
环境科学
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高影响因子
Genes
·
2019
·Vol. 10
·期 6
·412
·
IF 3.331
Zhangxun Wang,Hong Zhu,Yuran Cheng,Yuanyuan Jiang,Yuandong Li,Bo Huang
The polyubiquitin gene is a highly conserved open reading frame that encodes different numbers of tandem ubiquitin repeats from different species, which play important roles in different biological processes.Metarhizium robertsiiis a fungal entomopathogen that is widely applied in the biological control of pest insects. However, it is unclear whether the polyubiquitin gene is required for fungal development, stress tolerance, and virulence in the entomopathogenic fungus. In the present study, the polyubiquitin gene (MrUBI4, MAA_02160) was functionally characterized via gene deletion inM. robertsii.Compared to the control strains, theMrUBI4deletion mutant showed delayed conidial germination and significantly decreased conidial yields (39% of the wild-type 14 days post-incubation). Correspondingly, the transcript levels of several genes from the central regulatory pathways associated with conidiation, includingbrlA,abaA,andwetA, were significantly downregulated, which indicated thatMrUBI4played an important role in asexual sporulation. Deletion ofMrUBI4especially resulted in increased sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) and heat-shock stress based on conidial germination analysis between mutant and control strains. The significant increase in sensitivity to heat-shock was accompanied with reduced transcript levels of genes related to heat-shock protein (hsp), trehalose, and mannitol accumulation (tps,tpp,nth,andmpd) in theMrUBI4deletion mutant. Deletion ofMrUBI4has no effect on fungal virulence. Altogether,MrUBI4is involved in the regulation of conidiation, conidial germination, UV stress, and heat-shock response inM. robertsii.Keywords:Metarhizium robertsii;polyubiquitin;conidiation;conidial germination;stress tolerance
研究领域:
真菌学
·
分子生物学
·
植物保护
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
PLoS Pathogens
·
2021
·Vol. 17
·期 6
·e1009656
·
IF 6.823
Lijuan Mei,Xuewen Wang,Ying Yin,Guirong Tang,Chengshu Wang
The exopolysaccharide galactosaminogalactan (GAG) has been well characterized in Aspergilli, especially the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus . It has been found that a five-gene cluster is responsible for GAG biosynthesis in Aspergilli to mediate fungal adherence, biofilm formation, immunosuppression or induction of host immune defences. Herein, we report the presence of the conserved GAG biosynthetic gene cluster in the insect pathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii to mediate either similar or unique biological functions. Deletion of the gene cluster disabled fungal ability to produce GAG on germ tubes, mycelia and appressoria. Relative to the wild type strain, null mutant was impaired in topical infection but not injection of insect hosts. We found that GAG production by Metarhizium is partially acetylated and could mediate fungal adherence to hydrophobic insect cuticles, biofilm formation, and penetration of insect cuticles. In particular, it was first confirmed that this exopolymer is responsible for the formation of appressorium mucilage, the essential extracellular matrix formed along with the infection structure differentiation to mediate cell attachment and expression of cuticle degrading enzymes. In contrast to its production during A . fumigatus invasive growth, GAG is not produced on the Metarhizium cells harvested from insect hemocoels; however, the polymer can glue germ tubes into aggregates to form mycelium pellets in liquid culture. The results of this study unravel the biosynthesis and unique function of GAG in a fungal system apart from the aspergilli species.
Fungal cell wall associated exopolymer GAG was first identified from Aspergillus niger decades ago and has been well characterized in terms of its biosynthetic mechanism, pathological and biological functions in Aspergillus fungi, especially the human pathogen A . fumigatus . With the accomplishment of diverse fungal genomes, the conserved GAG biosynthetic gene cluster is found to patchily distribute in fungal species beyond Aspergilli. However, until this study, the contribution of the clustered genes to GAG production has not been investigated in any non- Aspergillus fungi. We performed gene deletions and functional characterizations of GAG in an insect pathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii , and found that the partially acetylated GAG can be produced by the fungus to contribute to fungal virulence during topical infection of insect hosts. This exopolymer can be produced on germ tubes, mycelia and appressoria to mediate cell adherence, cuticle penetration, biofilm formation, mycelium aggregation in liquid culture and in particular, appressorium mucilaginous matrix formation. In addition, it was found that loss of GAG production could alter appressorium protein expressions including the enzymes involved in degrading insect cuticles. Our data advance the understanding of GAG biosynthesis and functions in an animal pathogenic fungus that is highly divergent from Aspergilli.
研究领域:
微生物学
·
分子生物学
·
病理学
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Journal of Fungi
·
2024
·Vol. 10
·期 8
·521
·
IF 4.2
Guang Wang,Xu Zhang,Guangzu Du,Wenqian Wang,Yunhao Yao,Sitong Jin,Haosheng Cai,Yuejin Peng,Bin Chen
Metarhizium rileyiis a wide spread insect fungi with a good biocontrol potentiality to various pests, particularly noctuid insects. However, it is characterized by its slow growth, its sensitivity to abiotic stress, and the slow speed of kill to pests, which hinder its use compared with other entomopathogenic fungi. In this study, the responses ofM. rileyito eight types of lipids were observed; among the lipids, oleic acid and linoleic acid significantly promoted the growth and development ofM. rileyiand enhanced its stress tolerances and virulence. An additional mechanistic study demonstrated that exogenous oleic acid and linoleic acid significantly improved the conidial germination, appressorium formation, cuticle degradation, and cuticle infection, which appear to be largely dependent on the up-regulation of gene expression in growth, development, protective, and cuticle-degrading enzymes. In conclusion, exogenous oleic acid and linoleic acid enhanced the stress tolerances and virulence ofM. rileyivia protecting conidial germination and promoting cuticle infection. These results provide new insights for the biopesticide development ofM. rileyi.
研究领域:
昆虫学
·
微生物学
·
生物技术
·
害虫管理
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
·
2026
·Vol. 123
·期 22
·e2603282123
·
IF 9.5
Xingyuan Tang,Ting Feng,Chaonan Yu,Meihong Ni,Yubo Zhang,Xin Ma,Xinmiao Wang,Jiani Chen,Wenqi Shi,Raymond J. St.Leger,Jianhua Huang,Weiguo Fang
Nitrogen exchange between plants and insects is a major component of ecosystem nitrogen cycling. Endophytic insect pathogenic fungi transfer insect-derived nitrogen to plants through symbiotic associations mediated by fungal mycelia, enabling plants to thrive even after losing nitrogen to insects. However, the mechanisms underlying this process remain unexplored. Here, we show that the widespread endophytic entomopathogen Metarhizium robertsii degrades the common root-derived antifungal compound caulilexin C to produce the volatile 1-methoxyindole. This compound is recognized by the Or74a olfactory receptor in Drosophila melanogaster larvae and attracts multiple Dipteran species to the plant–Metarhizium consortium. The recruited insects are subsequently infected and consumed, resulting in enhanced insect-derived nitrogen transfer to the plants. This self-reinforcing mechanism strengthens the plant–fungus symbiosis and reveals a pathway contributing to ecosystem nitrogen flux.
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PubMed
高影响因子
EUKARYOTIC CELL
·
2015
·Vol. 14
·期 4
·
IF 2.82
Yanfang Shang,Peilin Chen,Yixiong Chen,Yuzhen Lu,Chengshu Wang
Two-component signaling pathways generally include sensor histidine kinases and response regulators. We identified an ortholog of the response regulator protein Skn7 in the insect-pathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii, which we named MrSkn7. Gene deletion assays and functional characterizations indicated that MrSkn7 functions as a transcription factor. The MrSkn7 null mutant of M. robertsii lost the ability to sporulate and had defects in cell wall biosynthesis but was not sensitive to oxidative and osmotic stresses compared to the wild type. However, the mutant was able to produce spores under salt stress. Insect bioassays using these spores showed that the virulence of the mutant was significantly impaired compared to that of the wild type due to the failures to form the infection structure appressorium and evade host immunity. In particular, deletion of MrSkn7 triggered cell autolysis with typical features such as cell vacuolization, downregulation of repressor genes, and upregulation of autolysis-related genes such as extracellular chitinases and proteases. Promoter binding assays confirmed that MrSkn7 could directly or indirectly control different putative target genes. Taken together, the results of this study help us understand the functional divergence of Skn7 orthologs as well as the mechanisms underlying the development and control of virulence in insect-pathogenic fungi.
研究领域:
真菌学
·
分子生物学
·
真菌遗传学
·
昆虫病理学
·
微生物致病机制
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DOI
高影响因子
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
·
2026
·Vol. 74
·期 32
·25287-25299
·
IF 6.7
Zhang Renjun,Cao Yueqing,Jin Kai,Xia Yuxian
Metarhizium spp.
are widely used as
biocontrol
agents against insect pests, but the chemical basis underlying their
nematicidal activity remains largely unknown. Here, bioassay-guided
fractionation and GC–MS identified dimethyl disulfide (DMDS)
and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) as the major volatile nematicidal compounds
produced by Metarhizium anisopliae .
Both compounds exhibited concentration-dependent activity against
three plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs), with 24 h LC 50 values
of 0.19–1.38 μg/mL for DMDS and 0.04–0.07 μg/mL
for DMTS. In tomato pot trials, the fermentation broth achieved 79.49%
control efficacy against Meloidogyne incognita , significantly higher than abamectin (68.24%). The GFP-labeled fungus
colonized tomato roots and persisted in the rhizosphere for 60 days.
Molecular docking and physiological assays suggested that DMDS and
DMTS disrupt calcium homeostasis, impair mitochondrial function, and
induce ROS accumulation. These findings provide new insight into the
volatile-mediated nematicidal activity of M. anisopliae and support its development as an environmentally friendly bionematicide.
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高影响因子
JOURNAL OF INVERTEBRATE PATHOLOGY
·
2025
·
IF 2.4
Yulian Peng,Jinliang Lyu,Qinwei Li,Petros Ligoxygakis,Yuxian Xia,Qi Xiao
The immune response of insects to pathogenic micro-organisms infection usually exhibits significant sex differences. Understanding this sexual dimorphism elucidates how immunity interplays with reproductive strategy, metabolic status and environmental factors. In this study, we showed female Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) survived better than males when infected with Metarhizium anisopliae CQMa421. This sex-specific survival difference depends on the Toll pathway, which is critical for innate immunity. We systematically compared innate immunity, including humoral immunity, cellular immunity, and melanization, between infected male and female flies. Female flies displayed a faster humoral immune response, characterized by earlier upregulation of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) expression in both fat body and gut. On the other hand, male flies exhibited a stronger early cellular immune response, marked by increased expression of genes associated with hemocyte clotting and phagocytosis. While male flies upregulated melanization related Prophenoloxidase (PPO) earlier than female flies, both sexes significantly increased phenoloxidase (PO) activity after fungal infection. Fungal load quantification revealed that CQMa421 proliferated more quickly in females than in males. Collectively, our data indicate that each sex exhibits advantages in specific immune response, and that sex-biased survival outcome arises from the integration of multiple host defense mechanisms.
研究领域:
免疫学
·
昆虫学
·
分子生物学
·
微生物与宿主互作
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Cell Reports
·
2026
·Vol. 45
·期 6
·
IF 7.7
Xinmiao Wang,Anxin Zhang,Chaonan Yu,Xingyuan Tang,Jiahui Wang,Fenglian Chen,Kun Jiang,Wen-Bing Yin,Weiguo Fang
Many microbial symbionts form distinct partnerships with different hosts. While the mechanisms specific to each partnership are well understood, the shared strategies that a symbiont uses to interact with disparate hosts remain understudied. Here, we report that the endophytic and entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii deploys the farnesyltransferase inhibitor barceloneic acid A (BA-A) to modulate the physiology of insects and plants to develop parasitism and mutualism, respectively. During insect infection, BA-A inhibits host Ras protein farnesylation, reducing its cell membrane localization and suppressing MAPK/ERK phosphorylation and production of the hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone. This suppresses larval pupation and decelerates larval death by upregulating antibacterial peptides to kill gut-derived opportunistic pathogens in the hemocoel, prolonging M. robertsii ’s access to nutrient-rich larval hemolymph for maximal reproduction. BA-A also inhibits the plant farnesyltransferase, downregulating the defense-related protein PR2 to facilitate mutualism development. The BA-A biosynthetic gene cluster was characterized, which is activated during interactions with insects and plants.
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PubMed
高影响因子
Mycology-An International Journal On Fungal Biology
·
2025
·
IF 4.4
Yue Zhang,Yunxiao Luo,Xiaoyu Liu,Jun Li,Yuxian Xia,Yueqing Cao
In pathogenic fungi, N-glycosylated cell wall proteins serve as initial contact points during interactions with host. In the process of protein N-glycosylation, N-linked glycans are processed by α-glucosidases I (Gls1) and II (Gls2) to trim the final two glucose residues to facilitate glycoprotein maturation. In this study, we identified and characterized MaGls2 by disrupting its catalytic subunit MaGls2α, in the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium acridum. MaGls2α was found to localize to the endoplasmic reticulum. Deletion of MaGls2α resulted in earlier conidiation and increased conidial yield, but impaired colony growth and diminished tolerance to various stresses. ∆MaGls2α mutant exhibited disrupted cell wall architecture, characterized by a smoother surface, increased wall thickness, reduced β-1,3-glucan, and elevated chitin content. Bioassays demonstrated that the ∆MaGls2α mutant exhibited significantly attenuated virulence and triggered a stronger immune response from the host. Further analysis of the infection process revealed that reduced cell wall hydrophobicity and impaired appressorium formation in ∆MaGls2α mutant led to its decreased ability to penetrate the insect cuticle. Furthermore, the mutant showed slowed growth in host hemolymph, hindering successful colonization. These results indicate that MaGls2α is essential for maintaining proper cell wall composition and structure, thereby influencing fungal growth, conidiation, stress tolerance, and pathogenicity.
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DOI
高影响因子
PLoS Pathogens
·
2024
·Vol. 20
·期 7
·e1012431
·
IF 5.5
Xiaoyu Liu,Nemat O. Keyhani,Hong Liu,Yue Zhang,Yuxian Xia,Yueqing Cao
Reactive carbonyl and oxygen species (RCS/ROS), often generated as metabolic byproducts, particularly under conditions of pathology, can cause direct damage to proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Glyoxal oxidases (Gloxs) oxidize aldehydes to carboxylic acids, generating hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). Although best characterized for their roles in lignin degradation, Glox in plant fungal pathogens are known to contribute to virulence, however, the mechanism underlying such effects are unclear. Here, we show that Glox in the insect pathogenic fungus, Metarhizium acridum , is highly expressed in mycelia and during formation of infection structures (appressoria), with the enzyme localizing to the cell membrane. MaGlox targeted gene disruption mutants showed RCS and ROS accumulation, resulting in cell toxicity, induction of apoptosis and increased autophagy, inhibiting normal fungal growth and development. The ability of the MaGlox mutant to scavenge RCS was significantly reduced, and the mutant exhibited increased susceptibility to aldehydes, oxidative and cell wall perturbing agents but not toward osmotic stress, with altered cell wall contents. The Δ MaGlox mutant was impaired in its ability to penetrate the host cuticle and evade host immune defense resulting in attenuated pathogenicity. Overexpression of MaGlox promoted fungal growth and conidial germination, increased tolerance to H 2 O 2 , but had little to other phenotypic effects. Transcriptomic analyses revealed downregulation of genes related to cell wall synthesis, conidiation, stress tolerance, and host cuticle penetration in the Δ MaGlox mutant. These findings demonstrate that MaGlox -mediated scavenging of RCS is required for virulence, and contributes to normal fungal growth and development, stress resistance.
The ability of organisms to detoxify reactive metabolic byproducts is crucial for normal development, stress resistance, and where applicable, pathogenesis. Here, using the insect pathogenic fungus, Metarhizium acridum , we show that a glyoxal oxidase acts to detoxify cellular reactive carbonyl species (RCS) as well as leading to decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels by alleviating aldehydes accumulation which can trigger ROS production. Mutants deficient in MaGlox showed increased levels of RCS/ROS leading to increased autophagy and apoptosis, resulting in impaired fungal growth, development, and reduced virulence. These findings link Glox mediated RCS/ROS detoxification to cell degradation/turnover processes and cell death, impacting fungal pathogenicity and development.
研究领域:
微生物学
·
真菌学
·
病理学
·
细胞生物学
·
植物病理学
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
·
2024
·
IF 5.7
Guang Yang,Feihu Bi,Deshui Yu,Yulong Wang,Hui Ren,Hanchen Wei,Zhangxun Wang,Bo Huang
Entomopathogenic fungi offer an ecologically sustainable and highly effective alternative to chemical pesticides for managing plant pests. However, the efficacy of mycoinsecticides in pest control suffers from environmental abiotic stresses, such as solar UV radiation and temperature fluctuations, which seriously hinder their practical application in the field. Herein, we discovered that the synthetic amphiphilic thermal-responsive polymers are able to significantly enhance the resistance of Metarhizium robertsii conidia against thermal and UV irradiation stresses. The thermosensitive polymers with extremely low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility can be engineered onto the M. robertsii conidia surface by anchoring hydrophobic alkyl chains. Further investigations revealed that polymer supplementation remarkably augmented the capacity for penetration and the virulence of M. robertsii under heat and UV stresses. Notably, broad-spectrum entomopathogenic fungi can be protected by the polymers. The molecular mechanism was elucidated through exploring RNA sequencing and in vivo/vitro enzyme activity assays. This work provides a novel avenue for fortifying the resilience of entomopathogenic fungi, potentially advancing their practical application as biopesticides.
研究领域:
生物技术
·
微生物学
·
害虫管理
·
环境科学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）