利用GFP表达系统检测球孢白僵菌侵染昆虫过程

绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)作为一种重要的报告基因,在病原菌和寄主之间的互作研究中具有良好的应用前景。利用草丁膦抗性基因bar为筛选标记,构建了组成性表达绿色荧光蛋白基因egfp的载体pBG,并转入球孢白僵菌获得成功表达。将转化子接种菜青虫进行生物测定表明,组成性表达egfp不影响球孢白僵菌的毒力。进一步利用冰冻切片和荧光显微观察技术监测球孢白僵菌侵染寄主行为,结果显示,通过荧光观察可清楚的检测到病原菌在昆虫体表的附着、菌丝穿透体壁以及菌丝从寄主体内长出等侵染过程。由此表明,GFP可有效用于球孢白僵菌的遗传标记,进行病原菌的鉴别、侵染致病机理及相关功能基因的表达模式研究。     

Use of the green fluorescent protein for investigations of Paecilomyces fumosoroseus in insect hosts.

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria has been expressed in a variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms and has been used extensively as a marker in the study of host-pathogen interactions. We have expressed GFP in the entomopathogenic fungus Paecilomyces fumosoroseus through co-transformation with a vector that confers resistance to glufosinate ammonium. All cell types express GFP and were readily detected by fluorescence microscopy. No correlation was observed between the amount of fluorescence and the pattern of vector integration as observed by Southern analysis. Fluorescent hyphae and conidia were easily distinguished on two insect hosts, the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia, and the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, and blastospores were also detected in the hemolymph of the diamondback moth. GFP-tagged strains of P. fumosoroseus can be used to study the developmental fate of the fungus within its insect hosts.     

The placement of South African strains of Beauveria in a phylogeny inferred from rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences

This study aimed to confirm the identity of three strains of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana from South African soils and to investigate their phylogenetic relationship with non-indigenous strains from other geographic regions. Sequences of the rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of 23 strains were compared with the Genbank reference sequences of 20 other cosmopolitan strains. Fitch parsimony and neighbor-joining analyses of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 regions resolved the strains into two distinct clades and matched them to four species groups/lineages: Beauveria bassiana, B. cf. bassiana (pseudobassiana), B. brongniartii and B. caledonica. Two of the South African strains initially identified as B. bassiana grouped with B. caledonica, whereas the third strain was confirmed as B. bassiana. Because of the paucity of Genbank references for B. caledonica, we have designated the two South African B. caledonica strains as B. sp. aff. caledonica. Other reassignments included two strains from Norway, originally classified as B. bassiana, being grouped with B. brongniartii, and three of the B. brongniartii reference taxa from Brazil which were clearly placed in the B. bassiana clade. The study provides a first report of the presence of the B. caledonica lineage in Africa and confirms current Beauveria phylogenies inferred from molecular data.     

Screening and secretomic analysis of enthomopatogenic Beauveria bassiana isolates in response to cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus) exoskeleton

The production of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), an important self-sustained crop in Latin America and Africa, is severely affected by damage by the cowpea weevil Callosobruchus maculatus. The presence of a single larva in stored seeds can lead to losses of almost 40%. Control of C. maculatus currently relies on the inefficient use of chemical insecticides and post-harvest treatments. The use of entomopathogenic fungus became a reliable alternative for coleopteran pest control and has been extensively investigated. Among them, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae were widely evaluated in order to measure their virulence toward many insects. In this report, we evaluated the insecticidal activity of ten strains of B. bassiana and the most lethal fungi strains were analyzed for proteinaceous secretions by two dimensional electrophoresis and for enzyme activities, including chitinolytic, proteolytic and alpha-amylolytic activities. This study could, in the near future, help to establish novel biotechnological tools to use for cowpea weevil control.     

Strain-specific detection of introduced Beauveria bassiana in agricultural fields by use of sequence-characterized amplified region markers

Field studies on the efficacy and persistence of an introduced strain of Beauveria bassiana for insect control require detection assays to differentiate the non-native strain from indigenous populations. In this study we developed strain-specific molecular markers based on polymerase chain reaction amplification of sequence-characterized amplified regions (SCAR) in combination with dilution plating on semi-selective medium to detect and estimate density of propagules of a commercial strain of B. bassiana (strain GHA) in field samples. Using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, unique fragments that distinguished GHA from other strains of B. bassiana were obtained. Three amplicons, OPA-14(0.44), OPA-15(0.44), and OPB-9(0.67), generated with RAPD primers were cloned and sequenced and used as bases for designing SCAR primers OPA14 F/R(445), OPA15 F/R(441), and OPB9 F/R(677), respectively. All three SCAR primers were highly sensitive, capable of detecting 100pg B. bassiana GHA genomic DNA, and thus could be used to detect varying levels of the fungus in the field.     

Effect of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae (Deuteromycetes) upon the coffee berry borer (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) under field conditions

The effect of three strains of the fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin and two strains of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin upon the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), was studied in three coffee farms at different altitudes (450-1,100 m above sea level) in Soconusco, Chiapas, Mexico. The maximum average percentage mycosis varied according to altitude. At 450 m asl (El Rincon) mycosis was 14.3% for B. bassiana and 6.3% for M. anisopliae; at 880 m asl (Santa Anita) mycosis was 40.6% for B. bassiana and 12.6% for M. anisopliae, and at 1,100 m asl (Alpujarras) 33.9% for B. bassiana and 22. 1% for M. anisopliae. The effect of fungal mycosis through time was not significant (P > 0.01) in any of the farms, but there was a significant difference between the strains of the fungus (P < 0.01); the best strains being Bb25 and Ma4 at the lower altitude, Bb26 and Ma4 for the middle altitude and Bb26 and Ma4 at the higher altitude. Environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity and rain were not correlated with the percentage mycosis caused by B. bassiana and M. anisopliae. However, in the case of B. bassiana there was a significant, positive correlation (P < 0.01) between the infestation levels of the pest and the mycosis response of the entomopathogen.     

Field Evaluation of Beauveria bassiana: Its Persistence and Effects on the Pea Aphid and a Non-target Coccinellid in Alfalfa

Several strains of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana have been considered for use as microbial insecticides. Experimental sprays were conducted in an alfalfa field with an aphid-derived strain of B. bassiana to determine its persistence and its effects on pea aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Homoptera: Aphididae) and a non-target aphid predator, Hippodamia convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). B. bassiana conidia persisted in the field for at least 28 days, when approximately 10% of the original inoculum was still present. In the lower canopy, more conidia were present than on other plant parts and they persisted longer on the leaves in this location. However, conidia were still abundant in the upper canopy, where 97.9% of the aphids and 95.5% of H. convergens larvae were found. Thus, both insect species were exposed to the fungus for at least 1 month. However, pea aphid populations were not affected by the fungus. The predator's incidence was reduced by 75-93% (depending on application rate) early in the season, but was not affected later in the season. Insect life history patterns and weather conditions are likely causes for the differences seen in field effects.     

Biocontrol of almond bark beetle (Scolytus amygdali Geurin-Meneville, Coleoptera: Scolytidae) using Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes)

AIMS: To formulate the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana in invert emulsion, then apply it against adults of almond bark beetle (Scolytus amygdali) under laboratory and field conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS: The effect of formulated B. bassiana in invert emulsion against S. amygdali adults was shown by comparing the mortality percentage of adults exposed to the formulated fungus using a Petri dish treatment method and by field applications to infested peach trees with mortality of adults exposed to the unformulated fungus or the untreated control. Results obtained from both exposure methods have indicated that treatment of S. amygdali adults with the formulated fungus resulted in a significantly higher mean mortality percentage (P < 0.05) when compared with the treatment with the unformulated fungus or the untreated control. This mortality ranged from 81.2 to 100%, 10 days after treatment with the formulated fungus when compared with 6.7 to 49.6% mortality, 10 days after treatment with the control or the unformulated fungus, respectively. Viability of the fungus conidia in invert emulsion was assessed by calculating the germination percentage of the conidia over time. Results indicated a high storage stability shown by a small loss of germination percentage for the formulated conidia of both strains (5.8 to 8.4% over a 12-week period) vs a low storage stability shown by a high loss of germination percentage for the unformulated conidia of the same strains (58.9 to 61.0% over the same period). The presence of B. bassiana in the galleries of beetles following the treatment of infested trees was shown in the present research. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained have demonstrated a significantly higher level of efficacy of formulated B. bassiana in invert emulsion against S. amygdali adults under laboratory and field conditions. The ingredients of invert emulsion used in the formulation of the fungus had a negligible effect on the viability of formulated conidia when compared with the unformulated. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Results obtained in the present research are promising and may be exploited commercially to control S. amygdali adults on various species of stone fruit trees, especially peach trees. This type of biocontrol of this insect may be used as an alternative means to chemical control for management of the insect. No adverse environmental impacts of the fungus or its formulation have been observed during application.     

Molecular investigation on strain genetic relatedness and population structure of Beauveria bassiana

Triplicate molecular methods, i.e. polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism of the pr1 gene, microsatellite markers and 28S rDNA haplotyping by detecting the presence or absence of group I introns, were used for population study of the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana. The findings showed that the average genetic diversity index of geographical populations was significantly smaller than that of populations derived from insect host orders, indicating that the genetic relatedness of B. bassiana strains was highly associated with geographical locality rather than insect host species. The reproductive style of all the B. bassiana populations was found to be non-clonal. Population structure analysis revealed that the average divergent coefficient among populations of B. bassiana was far below 1 (0.1112), which indicated that there was no significant genetic differentiation between populations, and that the overall genetic diversity mainly resulted from the genetic variations within geographical populations. Statistically, genetic distances between populations were positively correlated with geographical distances, suggesting that geographical separation poses an obstacle to the possibility and frequency of genetic exchanges between populations. On the other hand, gene flow was indirectly established to occur between B. bassiana populations.