Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China.
School of Life Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024 Mar 23;40(5):141. doi: 10.1007/s11274-024-03934-y.
Metarhizium robertsii, a vital entomopathogenic fungus for pest management, relies on various virulence-related proteins for infection. Identifying these proteins, especially those with unknown functions, can illuminate the fungus's virulence mechanisms. Through RNA-seq, we discovered that the hypothetical protein MAA_07646 was significantly upregulated during appressorium formation in M. robertsii. In this study, we characterized MAA_07646, finding its presence in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. Surprisingly, it did not affect vegetative growth, conidiation, or chemical tolerance. However, it played a role in heat and UV radiation sensitivity. Notably, ΔMAA_07646 exhibited reduced virulence in Galleria mellonella larvae due to impaired appressorium formation and decreased expression of virulence-related genes. In conclusion, MAA_07646 contributes to thermotolerance, UV resistance, and virulence in M. robertsii. Understanding its function sheds light on the insecticidal potential of M. robertsii's hypothetical proteins.
玫烟色棒束孢是一种重要的用于害虫防治的昆虫病原真菌，依赖于各种与毒力相关的蛋白质进行感染。鉴定这些蛋白质，特别是那些具有未知功能的蛋白质，可以阐明真菌的毒力机制。通过 RNA-seq，我们发现假设蛋白 MAA_07646 在玫烟色棒束孢的附着胞形成过程中显著上调。在这项研究中，我们对 MAA_07646 进行了特征描述，发现它存在于细胞核和细胞质中。令人惊讶的是，它并不影响营养生长、产孢或化学耐受性。然而，它在热和紫外线辐射敏感性方面发挥了作用。值得注意的是，ΔMAA_07646 由于附着胞形成受损和毒力相关基因表达降低，在大蜡螟幼虫中的毒力降低。总之，MAA_07646 有助于玫烟色棒束孢的耐热性、耐紫外线和毒力。了解其功能揭示了玫烟色棒束孢假设蛋白的杀虫潜力。
