The MAD1 adhesin of Metarhizium anisopliae links adhesion with blastospore production and virulence to insects, and the MAD2 adhesin enables attachment to plants

Metarhizium anisopliae is a fungus of considerable metabolic and ecological versatility, being a potent insect pathogen that can also colonize plant roots. The mechanistic details of these interactions are unresolved. We provide evidence that M. anisopliae adheres to insects and plants using two different proteins, MAD1 and MAD2, that are differentially induced in insect hemolymph and plant root exudates, respectively, and produce regional localization of adhesive conidial surfaces. Expression of Mad1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae allowed this yeast to adhere to insect cuticle. Expression of Mad2 caused yeast cells to adhere to a plant surface. Our study demonstrated that as well as allowing adhesion to insects, MAD1 at the surface of M. anisopliae conidia or blastospores is required to orientate the cytoskeleton and stimulate the expression of genes involved in the cell cycle. Consequently, the disruption of Mad1 in M. anisopliae delayed germination, suppressed blastospore formation, and greatly reduced virulence to caterpillars. The disruption of Mad2 blocked the adhesion of M. anisopliae to plant epidermis but had no effects on fungal differentiation and entomopathogenicity. Thus, regulation, localization, and specificity control the functional distinction between Mad1 and Mad2 and enable M. anisopliae cells to adapt their adhesive properties to different habitats.     

绿僵菌对小麦纹枯病菌的抑制作用研究

在实验室条件下,研究了金龟子绿僵菌（Metarhizium anisopliae）对小麦纹枯病菌（Rhizoctonia cerealis）的拮抗作用及其机理。结果表明,金龟子绿僵菌与小麦纹枯病菌对峙培养以及在培养基中加入金龟子绿僵菌孢子悬浮液,对小麦纹枯病菌菌丝生长均有较好的抑制作用。测定了培养不同天数的金龟子绿僵菌Ma55发酵液对小麦纹枯病菌菌丝生长、菌核产生量及菌核萌发率的影响。结果表明,液体振荡培养25 d的金龟子绿僵菌Ma55发酵液对小麦纹枯病菌的菌丝生长、菌核产生量及菌核萌发具有显著的抑制作用,且Ma55发酵液中的抑菌活性物质具有较好的热稳定性。在光学显微镜下,未观察到Ma55对小麦纹枯病菌的重寄生现象,但发现金龟子绿僵菌与小麦纹枯病菌对峙培养处小麦纹枯病菌营养菌丝的细胞质变稀薄、菌丝部分消解或断裂。上述结果显示,金龟子绿僵菌对小麦纹枯病菌的拮抗机制主要是营养竞争、空间竞争及抗生作用等。     

绿僵菌侵染小菜蛾幼虫过程的透射电镜观察

利用透射电镜观察了绿僵菌Metarhizium anisopliae对小菜蛾Plutella xylostella幼虫的侵染过程。结果表明：接种后22 h最早观察到绿僵菌穿透到寄主表皮层中,在穿透表皮过程中伴随着机械力和酶的活动。菌体进入寄主血腔后,以菌丝出芽生殖、菌丝分隔及菌丝段分隔3种方式大量增殖,主要形成颗粒状的菌丝段在寄主体腔内扩散,也形成少量的丝状菌丝。     

Pathogenicity of a new China variety of Metarhizium anisopliae (M. Anisopliae var. Dcjhyium) to subterranean termite Odontotermes formosanus

The pathogenicity of a new China variety of Metarhizium anisopliae (M. anisopliae var. dcjhyium) against the subterranean termite Odontotermes formosanus and the effect of the fungal fermented solution on hemolymph intracellular calcium were studied in laboratory. Conidia from the M. anisopliae var. dcjhyium were highly virulent for O. formosanus causing approximately 100% mortality 3 days post-inoculation in the concentration of 3x10(8) conidia/ml. The conidial clumps with conidial chains distributed on the cadavers of termite. When the termite was treated with 3x10(5) conidia/ml for 2 days, two constitutive proteins (91 and 105kDa) disappeared and a new specific protein (40kDa) appeared in the hemolymph of survivors relative to the controls. Hemolymph cells treated by the fungal fermented solution had a significantly higher level of intracellular calcium than controls 30min after treatment (x1.7). When the termite O. formosanus was infected by the entomopathogenic fungus M. anisopliae var. dcjhyium, hyphae invaded the integument and body cavity of the termite; well-developed muscles and fat tissue in the thorax of termite were decomposed and absorbed by hyphae, and formed the net structure; Hyphae seriously destroyed hemolymph, various tissues, pipelines and produced large number of conidia in the body of termite.     

马尾松毛虫感染绿僵菌后某些生化指标的变化

3～ 4龄马尾松毛虫Dendrolimuspunctatus幼虫被金龟子绿僵菌Metarhiziumanisopliae感染后 1～ 4d,血淋巴中血细胞总数和可溶性蛋白浓度均显著高于同期未感染的幼虫。利用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳技术 ,分析了感染后 3 ,4,6d幼虫体壁组织中可溶性蛋白和过氧化物酶 ,以及血淋巴中过氧化物酶的变化。结果显示 ,金龟子绿僵菌的侵染对马尾松毛虫幼虫体壁组织蛋白质代谢产生影响 ,过氧化物酶活性有减弱趋势     

A new bioassay method reveals pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana against early stages of Capnodis tenebrionis (Coleoptera; Buprestidae)

We used a newly developed bioassay method to demonstrate for the first time the potential of the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae to be used for the control of neonate larvae of Capnodis tenebrionis, a major threat to stone-fruit orchards in several countries. Four B. bassiana and four M. anisopliae isolates were all pathogenic for neonate larvae of C. tenebrionis; mortality rates 10 days after inoculation by dipping in a suspension with 10(8)conidia/ml varied from 23.5% to 100%. Three of the four M. anisopliae isolates caused 100% mortality. In most cases, postmortem hyphal growth and sporulation of M. anisopliae or B. bassiana was observed covering the larvae in their galleries. The eight isolates were also evaluated for pathogenicity to C. tenebrionis eggs at the same dosage. Only two B. bassiana isolates caused significant egg hatching reduction of 84.5% and 94.5%. Our results indicate that M. anisopliae and B. bassiana may be considered as promising for a new approach to prevent larval infestations by C. tenebrionis.     

Measurement of hyphal turgor

Cellular turgor pressure is thought to provide the driving force for hyphal extension and for a variety of other fungal processes. This study was conducted to evaluate three different approaches to the measurement of hyphal turgor in the aquatic fungus Achlya bisexualis. Turgor was determined indirectly from measurements of the osmotic potential of hyphal extracts using an osmometer and by a refined incipient plasmolysis technique. Turgor was also measured directly from individual growing hyphae using a micropipet-based pressure probe. Osmometry provided an estimate of the mean turgor of hyphae grown in liquid culture of 0.74 MPa, while the incipient plasmolysis technique indicated turgor pressures of between 1.0 and 1.2 MPa (10 to 12 bars). With the pressure probe, turgors ranging from 0.8 to 1.2 MPa were measured from 49 hyphae in the same difined medium. The low turgor estimates from the osmometric approach probably reflected dilution of the cell contents by cell wall and extracellular fluid during sample extraction. Recordings with the pressure probe showed that turgor did not vary along the length of the coenocytic hyphae and was independent of hyphal diameter. This paper presents the first report of the direct measurement of hyphal turgor pressure.     

The relationship of hemolymph osmotic pressure to spermatogenesis in the tobacco budworm,Heliothis virescens

The hemolymph osmotic pressure of male Heliothis virescens last instar larvae and pupae can be correlated with the state of spermatogenesis: intermediate (approx. 325 mOsm/kg) osmotic pressures are found in pre-meiotic animals, low (approx. 300 mOsm/kg) osmotic pressures characterize meiosis and elongation, and high (approx. 370 mOsm/kg) osmotic pressures, characterize the tests of diapausing pupae, where mature sperm have disappeared and only pre-meiotic sperm are found. In vitro studies show that, as the osmotic pressure of the medium is increased, spermatogenesis is inhibited and the survival of pre-meiotic cysts is enhanced. It is proposed that the osmotic pressure of the hemolymph plays a role in spermatogenesis and in the preservation of immature cysts during diapause.     

Impact of moisture on survival of Aedes aegypti eggs and ovicidal activity of Metarhizium anisopliae under laboratory conditions

The effect of relative humidity (43%, 75%, 86% and > 98%) on Aedes aegypti eggs treated with Metarhizium anisopliae or water only was tested for up to a six months exposure at 25 degrees C. Survival of larvae inside eggs was clearly affected by the lowest humidity (43%) tested, and eclosion diminished at all humidities after increasing periods of exposure. M. anisopliae showed to have a strong ovicidal activity only at humidity close to saturation. No difference of activity was found between conidia and hyphal bodies tested. This fungus affected larvae inside eggs and has potential as a control agent of this important vector in breeding sites with high moisture.     

The effects of exposure to critical thermal maxima on the physiological,metabolic, and immunological responses in adult white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone)

Exposure to thermal stress was shown to have a significant effect on the osmotic pressure of the hemolymph, glucose levels, total count of hemocyte (TCH), and proPO activity in adult white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Exposure of the shrimp to CTMax significantly increased the osmotic pressure of the hemolymph relative to the control group. In organisms reaching CTMax, temperature elicited a secondary stress response that included an increase in hemolymph glucose of 31?mg?mL^?1. Metabolites in hemolymph such as cholesterol, acylglycerides, and total protein were not significantly affected by exposure to CTMax. CTMax exposure affected several immunological parameters causing decreases in TCH and proPO activity. We suggested that biomarkers such as osmolality, glucose levels, TCH, and proPO activity could be used as sensitive predictors of exposure to CTMax in white shrimp.     

A scorpion neurotoxin increases the potency of a fungal insecticide

The low virulence of the insecticidal fungus Metarhizium anisopliae has stymied its widespread use in controlling insect pests. We show that high-level expression of an insect-specific neurotoxin from the scorpion Androctonus australis in hemolymph by M. anisopliae increases fungal toxicity 22-fold against tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) caterpillars and ninefold against adult yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) without compromising host specificity. Prelethal effects include reduced mobility and feeding of the insects targeted.     

Survival and differential development of Entomophaga maimaiga and Entomophaga aulicae (Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales) in Lymantria dispar hemolymph

The closely related entomophthoralean fungi Entomophaga aulicae and E. maimaiga are both host-specific pathogens of lepidopteran larvae. However, these fungi do not have the same host range. The first objective of this study was to compare the fate of E. aulicae in the nonpermissive host Lymantria dispar with the fate of the successful pathogen E. maimaiga over the same time period. In the hemolymph of L. dispar injected with E. maimaiga protoplasts, the number of hemocytes demonstrated a decreasing trend after the first day postinjection and hemocytes completely disappeared by day 5, with the majority of larvae dying in 5.6 +/- 0.1 days. In L. dispar larvae, E. maimaiga infections developed successfully, evidenced by increasing numbers of protoplasts and hyphal bodies prior to host mortality. In contrast, at day 5 hemocytes were readily visible in hemolymph of E. aulicae-injected larvae, but E. aulicae cells did not increase in numbers, although persisting in the hemolymph for at least 16 days postinjection. For both fungal species, when hemolymph samples from injected insects were introduced to culture media viable fungal cultures were always produced. Both E. aulicae and E. maimaiga occurred in hemolymph initially after injection as protoplasts. For E. maimaiga, after day 3, <50% of fungal cells were hyphal bodies until insect death when most cells regenerated cell walls. For E. aulicae, from day 2 equal numbers of fungal cells in the hemolymph occurred as protoplasts and hyphal bodies. To investigate the cause of fungistasis in E. aulicae-injected larvae, E. aulicae cell cultures exposed to partially purified protein fractions from hemolymph of larvae infected with either fungus displayed increased lysis and decreased viability at lower concentrations of protein fractions compared with E. maimaiga cell cultures. These studies demonstrate that E. aulicae does not increase in L. dispar hemolymph, although it persists and results suggest that proteinaceous factors induced within the hemolymph may limit the capacity of E. aulicae to develop successful infections.     

How does a hypha grow? The biophysics of pressurized growth in fungi

The mechanisms underlying the growth of fungal hyphae are rooted in the physical property of cell pressure. Internal hydrostatic pressure (turgor) is one of the major forces driving the localized expansion at the hyphal tip which causes the characteristic filamentous shape of the hypha. Calcium gradients regulate tip growth, and secretory vesicles that contribute to this process are actively transported to the growing tip by molecular motors that move along cytoskeletal structures. Turgor is controlled by an osmotic mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade that causes de novo synthesis of osmolytes and uptake of ions from the external medium. However, as discussed in this Review, turgor and pressure have additional roles in hyphal growth, such as causing the mass flow of cytoplasm from the basal mycelial network towards the expanding hyphal tips at the colony edge.     

The mariner Mos1 transposase produced in tobacco is active in vitro

The mariner-like transposon Mos1 is used for insertional mutagenesis and transgenesis in different animals (insects, nematodes), but has never been used in plants. In this paper, the transposition activity of Mos1 was tested in Nicotiana tabacum, but no transposition event was detected. In an attempt to understand the absence of in planta transposition, Mos1 transposase (MOS1) was produced and purified from transgenic tobacco (HMNtMOS1). HMNtMOS1 was able to perform all transposition reaction steps in vitro: binding to ITR, excision and integration of the same pseudo-transposon used in in planta transposition assays. The in vitro transposition reaction was not inhibited by tobacco nuclear proteins, and did not depend on the temperature used for plant growth. Several hypotheses are proposed that could explain the inhibition of HMNtMOS1 activity in planta.     

Transposase-transposase interactions in MOS1 complexes: a biochemical approach

Transposases are proteins that have assumed the mobility of class II transposable elements. In order to map the interfaces involved in transposase-transposase interactions, we have taken advantage of 12 transposase mutants that impair mariner transposase-transposase interactions taking place during transposition. Our data indicate that transposase-transposase interactions regulating Mos1 transposition are sophisticated and result from (i) active MOS1 dimerization through the first HTH of the N-terminal domain, which leads to inverted terminal repeat (ITR) binding; (ii) inactive dimerization carried by part of the C-terminal domain, which prevents ITR binding; and (iii) oligomerization. Inactive dimers are nonpermissive in organizing complexes that produce ITR binding, but the interfaces (or interactions) supplied in this state could play a role in the various rearrangements needed during transposition. Oligomerization is probably not due to a specific MOS1 domain, but rather the result of nonspecific interactions resulting from incorrect folding of the protein. Our data also suggest that the MOS1 catalytic domain is a main actor in the overall organization of MOS1, thus playing a role in MOS1 oligomerization. Finally, we propose that MOS1 behaves as predicted by the pre-equilibrium existing model, whereby proteins are found to exist simultaneously in populations with diverse conformations, monomers and active and inactive dimers for MOS1. We were able to identify several MOS1 mutants that modify this pre-existing equilibrium. According to their properties, some of these mutants will be useful tools to break down the remaining gaps in our understanding of mariner transposition.