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Bbssk1, a response regulator required for conidiation, multi-stress tolerance, and virulence of Beauveria bassiana

  • Applied microbial and cell physiology
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Abstract

Ssk1-type response regulator proteins are the core elements of histidine-to-aspartate systems that mediate fungal stress tolerance, a determinant to the biocontrol potential of fungal entomopathogens. We characterized the functions of Beauveria bassiana Ssk1 (Bbssk1) by analyzing multi-phenotypic changes in ΔBbssk1 and differentially expressed genes in the digital gene expression (DGE) libraries of ΔBbssk1 and wild-type constructed under osmotic stress. The Bbssk1 disruption caused 25 % reductions in conidial yield and virulence to Spodoptera litura larvae and significant defects in tolerances to two osmotic salts (81–84 %), H2O2 oxidation (23 %), two fungicides (21–58 %), three cell wall biosynthesis inhibitors (25–36 %), and three metal ions (~8 %) during colony growth, respectively, but little changes in cell sensitivity to menadione oxidation and in conidial thermotolerance and UV-B resistance. RNA-seq analysis with the DGE libraries revealed differential expressions of 1,003 genes in the ΔBbssk1 genome. Of those, many associated with conidiation, stress response, xenobiotic transport, cell wall integrity, and protein/carbohydrate metabolism were remarkably down-regulated, including the genes involved in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal pathway that downstream of Bbssk1. Our results indicate that Bbssk1 regulates positively the expressions of the MAPK cascade in the pathway of B. bassiana and many more downstream genes associated with conidiation, multi-stress tolerance, and virulence.

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Acknowledgments

Funding of this study was provided by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (grant No. 2011AA10A204), the Natural Science Foundation of China (grant Nos. 31270537 and 31321063), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biometrology and Inspection and Quarantine, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018, People’s Republic of China

    Zheng-Liang Wang & Chao Li

  2. Institute of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, People’s Republic of China

    Zheng-Liang Wang, Fang Li & Ming-Guang Feng

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  1. Zheng-Liang Wang
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  2. Fang Li
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  3. Chao Li
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Correspondence to Zheng-Liang Wang or Ming-Guang Feng.

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Wang, ZL., Li, F., Li, C. et al. Bbssk1, a response regulator required for conidiation, multi-stress tolerance, and virulence of Beauveria bassiana . Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 98, 5607–5618 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-5644-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-5644-4

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