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

Abstract

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.

Genome-Wide Insight into Profound Effect of Carbon Catabolite Repressor (Cre1) on the Insect-Pathogenic Lifecycle of Beauveriabassiana

“…The Cre1-mediated CCR is of special interest for insect-pathogenic fungi, which utilize scant nutrients in host integument during hyphal invasion into host body, serve as sources of environment-friendly insecticides and are represented best by Beauveria bassiana and the Metarhizium anisopliae complex [31][32][33]. Previously, a role of CRR1 (homologous to Cre1) was noted in the carbon regulation of the cuticle-degrading protease Pr1 in M. anisopliae [34].…”

Three Small Cysteine-Free Proteins (CFP1–3) Are Required for Insect-Pathogenic Lifestyle of Metarhizium robertsii

“…The differences in both phenotypic and transcriptomic changes between Δ cfp1 and Δ cfp hint that M. robertsii and B. bassiana are distinctive in genetic background and regulatory mechanisms underlying lifecycle in vitro and in vivo. Such differences have also been revealed in the previous analysis of the master transcription factor Msn2 in the two fungi [ 37 ] and in the reviews on fungal adaptation to insect-pathogenic lifecycle and host habitats [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 38 , 39 ]. The differences could be likely due to different evolutionary histories of their insect pathogenic lifestyles [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Food Waste Management Employing UV-Induced Black Soldier Flies: Metabolomic Analysis of Bioactive Components, Antioxidant Properties, and Antibacterial Potential

“…Several studies have demonstrated the antibacterial activity of BSF larvae against numerous pathogens, such as S. aureus , S. epidermidis , B. subtilis , and methicillin-resistant S. aureus , due to the presence of several haemolymphatic peptides as well as antimicrobial peptides in BSF [ 18 ]. UV induction enhances the BSF antimicrobial activity, mainly due to UV induction’s biological effect, which induces changes in DNA expression [ 19 ]. Furthermore, the formation of thymine dimers between BSF DNA duplexes and adjacent inter-thymidine dimers on the same strand by UV treatment prevents normal base pairing and incorrect replication [ 20 ].…”