Insect Pathogenic Fungi: Genomics, Molecular Interactions, and Genetic Improvements

Wang, Chengshu; Wang, Sibao

doi:10.1146/annurev-ento-031616-035509

Cited by 340 publications

(317 citation statements)

References 108 publications

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“…Entomopathogenic fungi gain access to the hemocoel cavity through the external cuticle, where they take up nutrients, produce toxins, destroy host cells, and eventually kill their hosts (23). Historically, fungal infections have primarily been studied as interactions between the fungus and the host insect, without consideration of interactions with the gut microbiota.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Entomopathogenic fungi produce a large array of secondary metabolites that are toxic to insects, such as bassianolide, beauvericin, beauverolides, cordycepin, destruxins, and oosporein. Most of these are required for full fungal virulence, via weakening the host immune defenses or damaging the muscular system (23,42). The destruxins produced by Metarhizium robertsii induce flaccid paralysis and visceral muscle contraction by targeting the Ca 2+ channel in insects (43)(44)(45).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike viruses, bacteria and parasites, which need to be ingested to cause disease, pathogenic fungi primarily attack insects by penetrating the host integument and proliferating in the hemolymph (23). The interplay between the gut microbiota and fungal entomopathogens has not been examined.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Insect pathogenic fungus interacts with the gut microbiota to accelerate mosquito mortality

Lai

Wang

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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268

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The insect gut microbiota plays crucial roles in modulating the interactions between the host and intestinal pathogens. Unlike viruses, bacteria, and parasites, which need to be ingested to cause disease, entomopathogenic fungi infect insects through the cuticle and proliferate in the hemolymph. However, interactions between the gut microbiota and entomopathogenic fungi are unknown. Here we show that the pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana interacts with the gut microbiota to accelerate mosquito death. After topical fungal infection, mosquitoes with gut microbiota die significantly faster than mosquitoes without microbiota. Furthermore, fungal infection causes dysbiosis of mosquito gut microbiota with a significant increase in gut bacterial load and a significant decrease in bacterial diversity. In particular, the opportunistic pathogenic bacterium Serratia marcescens overgrows in the midgut and translocates to the hemocoel, which promotes fungal killing of mosquitoes. We further reveal that fungal infection down-regulates antimicrobial peptide and dual oxidase expression in the midgut. Duox down-regulation in the midgut is mediated by secretion of the toxin oosporein from B. bassiana. Our findings reveal the important contribution of the gut microbiota in B. bassiana-killing activity, providing new insights into the mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis in insects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insect pathogenic fungus interacts with the gut microbiota to accelerate mosquito mortality

Lai

Wang

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

268

243

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“…They also infect their insect hosts in a unique way entering the hemocoel cavity through the external cuticle, where they absorb nutrients, produce immunosuppressive toxins (Vilcinskas & Götz, ), damage the host cells, and interact with the gut microbiota to promote host death. They finally kill the host, and the given fungus grows out the cuticle of the dead insect releasing conidiophores to infect other host individuals (Wang & Wang, ; Wei et al, ; Xiong et al, ). All this promotes their good application potential within invertebrate pest control strategies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of a new Cordyceps javanica fungus isolate and its toxicity evaluation against Asian citrus psyllid

Zhang

Guo

et al. 2018

MicrobiologyOpen

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The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, is the most serious pest of citrus worldwide. It acts as a vector for a group of phloem‐limited bacteria ( Candidatus Liberibacter spp.) that causes Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Thus, D. citri management is an important strategy against HLB, and biological control is currently considered as the most effective method because of the unsustainable and negative side effects of chemical control. Here, we isolated a new strain of entomopathogenic fungus, Cordyceps javanica (GZQ‐1), from one cadaver of D. citri adult based on its morphological and phylogenetic data. Five conidial concentrations of the C. javanica pathogen (1 × 10 3 , 1 × 10 4 , 1 × 10 5 , 1 × 10 6 , and 1 × 10 7 conidia/ml) were assessed against six life stages of D. citri (1st‐5th instar nymphs and adults). Results showed that C. javanica GZQ‐1 was highly pathogenic to D. citri nymphs (69.49%–90.87% mortality) and adults (69.98% mortality). The LC 50 and LT 50 values of C. javanica against 1st‐2nd instar (younger), 3rd‐4th instar (middle aged), 5th instar (older), and adults were 1.20 × 10 5 , 1.10 × 10 6 , 4.47 × 10 6 , 8.12 × 10 6 conidia/ml and 4.25, 4.51, 5.17, 5.49 days, respectively. Moreover, glasshouse experiments indicated that this C. javanica GZQ‐1 caused higher infection rates of D. citri adults compared to two other fungal strains we previously isolated in the laboratory, Cordyceps fumosorosea (IF010) and Metarhizium anisopliae (CNGD7).

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“…Entomopathogenic fungi play a pivotal role in regulating insect populations in nature, and representative species have been developed as promising environmentally friendly mycoinsecticides . Advancements in high‐throughput sequencing techniques and reductions in cost have facilitated genome/transcriptome/proteome sequencing in various species, leading to several reports of genomic features associated with fungal infection in different hosts .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

XRN1‐associated long non‐coding RNAs may contribute to fungal virulence and sexual development in entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris

Wang

Shao

Yun-lan

et al. 2019

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUND Numerous long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) identified and characterized in mammals, plants, and fungi have been found to play critical regulatory roles in biological processes. However, little is known about the role of lncRNAs in insect pathogenic fungi. RESULTS By profiling the transcriptomes of sexual and asexual development in the insect‐pathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris, 4140 lncRNAs were identified and found to be dynamically expressed during fungal development. The lncRNAs had shorter transcript lengths and lower numbers of exons compared to protein‐coding genes. The expressed target genes (neighboring and cis‐regulated) of various expressed lncRNAs were predicted, and these genes showed significant enrichment in energy metabolism and signaling pathways, such as ‘Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis’ and “MAPK signaling pathway”. To better understand how lncRNAs function in the fungus, xrn1, the final gene of the NMD pathway, which determines the fate of lncRNAs, was disrupted. The Δxrn1 deletion mutant displayed significant (P < 0.05) attenuation of virulence and a lower growth rate in C. militaris. Quantitative RT‐PCR results revealed 10 lncRNAs with significantly higher expression, while 8 of these 10 lncRNA target genes (virulence‐ and sexual development‐related) showed significantly lower expression in Δxrn1 compared to in the wild‐type, suggesting that lncRNA expression regulates fungal virulence and sexual development by affecting gene expression. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that lncRNAs in C. militaris play important roles in the fungal infection progress and fruiting body production, providing a broad repertoire and resource for further studies of lncRNAs. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

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Insect Pathogenic Fungi: Genomics, Molecular Interactions, and Genetic Improvements

Cited by 340 publications

References 108 publications

Insect pathogenic fungus interacts with the gut microbiota to accelerate mosquito mortality

Insect pathogenic fungus interacts with the gut microbiota to accelerate mosquito mortality

Identification of a new Cordyceps javanica fungus isolate and its toxicity evaluation against Asian citrus psyllid

XRN1‐associated long non‐coding RNAs may contribute to fungal virulence and sexual development in entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris

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