Effects of passages through an insect or a plant on virulence and physiological properties of the fungus Metarhizium robertsii

PeerJ

article

Oksana G. Tomilova¹  Vadim Y. Kryukov¹  Natalia A. Kryukova¹  Khristina P. Tolokonnikova¹  Yuri S. Tokarev²  Arina S. Rumiantseva²  Alexander A. Alekseev¹  Viktor V. Glupov¹ 

[1] Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS;All-Russian Institute of Plant Protection;Voevodsky Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion SB RAS

关键词: Colonization;    Destruxin;    Lipolytic activity;    Proteolytic activity;    Wax moth;    Tomato;    Antagonistic activity;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.15726

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Species of the genus Metarhizium are characterized by a multitrophic lifestyle of being arthropod parasites, rhizosphere colonizers, endophytes, and saprophytes. The process of adaptation to various organisms and substrates may lead to specific physiological alterations that can be elucidated by passaging through different hosts. Changes in virulence and cultivation properties of entomopathogenic fungi subcultured on different media or passaged through a live insect host are well known. Nevertheless, comparative in-depth physiological studies on fungi after passaging through insect or plant organisms are scarce. Here, virulence, plant colonization, hydrolytic enzymatic activities, toxin production, and antimicrobial action were compared between stable (nondegenerative) parent strain Metarhizium robertsii MB-1 and its reisolates obtained after eight passages through Galleria mellonella larvae or Solanum lycopersicum or after subculturing on the Sabouraud medium. The passaging through the insect caused similar physiological alterations relative to the plant-based passaging: elevation of destruxin A, B, and E production, a decrease in protease and lipase activities, and lowering of virulence toward G. mellonella and Leptinotarsa decemlineata as compared to the parent strain. The reisolates passaged through the insect or plant showed a slight trend toward increased tomato colonization and enhanced antagonistic action on tomato-associated bacterium Bacillus pumilus as compared to the parental strain. Meanwhile, the subculturing of MB-1 on the Sabouraud medium showed stability of the studied parameters, with minimal alterations relative to the parental strain. We propose that the fungal virulence factors are reprioritized during adaptation of M. robertsii to insects, plants, and media.

【 授权许可】

CC BY