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Oxidative stress in entomopathogenic fungi grown on insect-like hydrocarbons

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Abstract

Entomopathogenic fungi mostly attack their insect hosts by penetration through the cuticle. The outermost insect surface is covered by a lipid-rich layer, usually composed of very long chain hydrocarbons. These fungi are apt to grow on straight chain hydrocarbons (alkanes) as the sole carbon source. Insect-like hydrocarbons are first hydroxylated by a microsomal P450 monooxygenase system, and then fully catabolized by peroxisomal β-oxidation reactions in Beauveria bassiana. In this review, we will discuss lipid metabolism adaptations in alkane-grown fungi, and how an oxidative stress scenario is established under these conditions. Fungi have to pay a high cost for hydrocarbon utilization; high levels of reactive oxygen species are produced and a concomitant antioxidant response is triggered in fungal cells to cope with this drawback.

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Acknowledgments

This review article was supported in part by a grant from São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) of Brazil #2014/01229-4. Original research has been supported by grants from the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) of Argentina (PIP0237), and the National Agency for Science and Technology Promotion of Argentina (PICT2012-1964) to N.P. C.H.B. is supported by a fellowship from the CONICET. M.P.J. and N.P. are members of the CONICET Researcher’s Career.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (CCT La Plata CONICET-UNLP), Calles 60 y 120, La Plata, Argentina

    Carla Huarte-Bonnet, M. Patricia Juárez & Nicolás Pedrini

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  1. Carla Huarte-Bonnet
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  2. M. Patricia Juárez
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  3. Nicolás Pedrini
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Correspondence to Nicolás Pedrini.

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Communicated by D. E. N. Rangel.

This article is part of the Special Issue “Fungal Stress Responses”.

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Huarte-Bonnet, C., Juárez, M.P. & Pedrini, N. Oxidative stress in entomopathogenic fungi grown on insect-like hydrocarbons. Curr Genet 61, 289–297 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-014-0452-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-014-0452-z

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