MaAzaR, a Zn2Cys6/Fungus-Specific Transcriptional Factor, Is Involved in Stress Tolerance and Conidiation Pattern Shift in Metarhizium acridum

Entomopathogenic fungi are valuable sources of biological pesticides, with conidial yield and quality being pivotal factors determining their broad applications. AzaR, a fungus-specific zinc-cluster transcription factor, is known to regulate the biosynthesis of polyketone secondary metabolites in As...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fungi (Basel) 2024-07, Vol.10 (7), p.468
Main Authors: Zhou, Jinyuan, Wang, Siqin, Xia, Yuxian, Peng, Guoxiong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cell division
Cell walls
Clonal deletion
Entomopathogenic fungi
environmental tolerance
Fungi
Gene deletion
Gene expression
Genes
Genetic resources
Genetic transformation
Germination
MaAzaR
Metarhizium acridum
microcycle conidiation
Molecular modelling
Secondary metabolites
Signal transduction
Transcription factors
Ultraviolet radiation
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Summary:Entomopathogenic fungi are valuable sources of biological pesticides, with conidial yield and quality being pivotal factors determining their broad applications. AzaR, a fungus-specific zinc-cluster transcription factor, is known to regulate the biosynthesis of polyketone secondary metabolites in Aspergillus niger; however, its role in pathogenic fungi remains unclear. This study investigated the role of MaAzaR in the growth, development, and environmental tolerance of Metarhizium acridum. MaAzaR deletion slowed down conidial germination rate, caused reduction in conidial yield, lowered fungal tolerance to UV radiation, did not affect fungal heat-shock tolerance, and increased fungal sensitivity to the cell-wall-destructive agent calcofluor white. Furthermore, MaAzaR deletion transformed microcycle conidiation to normal conidiation on the microcycle conidiation medium. Transcription profile analysis demonstrated that MaAzaR could regulate transformation of the conidiation pattern by controlling the expression of genes related to cell division, mycelium growth and development, and cell wall integrity. Thus, this study identified a new gene related to fungal conidiation and environmental tolerance, enriching our understanding of the molecular mechanism of microcycle conidiation and providing theoretical support and genetic resources for the development of high-yielding strains.
ISSN:2309-608X
2309-608X
DOI:10.3390/jof10070468