Metarhizium pingshaense photolyase expression and virulence to Rhipicephalus microplus after UV‐B exposure

Abstract

The current study examined the impact of ultraviolet (UV)‐B radiation in Metarhizium pingshaense blastospores' photolyase expression and their virulence against Rhipicephalus microplus. Blastospores were exposed to UV under laboratory and field conditions. Ticks were treated topically with fungal suspension and exposed to UV‐B in the laboratory for three consecutive days. The expression of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimmers (CPDs)‐photolyase gene maphr1‐2 in blastospores after UV exposure followed by white light exposure was accessed after 0, 8, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h. Average relative germination of blastospores 24 h after in vitro UV exposure was 8.4% lower than 48 h. Despite this, the relative germination of blastospores exposed to UV in the field 18 h (95.7 ± 0.3%) and 28 h (97.3 ± 0.8%) after exposure were not different (p > 0.05). Ticks treated with fungus and not exposed to UV exhibited 0% survival 10 days after the treatment, while fungus‐treated ticks exposed to UV exhibited 50 ± 11.2% survival. Expression levels of maphr1‐2 8, 12, and 24 h after UV‐B exposure were not different from time zero. Maphr1‐2 expression peak in M. pingshaense blastospores occurred 36 h after UV‐B exposure, in the proposed conditions and times analyzed, suggesting repair mechanisms other than CPD‐mediated‐photoreactivation might be leading blastospores' germination from 0 to 24 h.