Mr-lac3 and Mr-lcc2 in <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> Regulate Conidiation and Maturation, Enhancing Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses and Pathogenicity
As a type of multicopper oxidase, laccases play multiple biological roles in entomopathogenic fungi, enhancing their survival, development, and pathogenicity. However, the mechanisms by which laccases operate in these fungi remain under-researched. In this study, we identified two laccase-encoding g...
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2025-02-01
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| author | Qiaoyun Wu Yingying Ye Yiran Liu Yufan He Xing Li Siqi Yang Tongtong Xu Xiufang Hu Guohong Zeng |
| author_facet | Qiaoyun Wu Yingying Ye Yiran Liu Yufan He Xing Li Siqi Yang Tongtong Xu Xiufang Hu Guohong Zeng |
| author_sort | Qiaoyun Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As a type of multicopper oxidase, laccases play multiple biological roles in entomopathogenic fungi, enhancing their survival, development, and pathogenicity. However, the mechanisms by which laccases operate in these fungi remain under-researched. In this study, we identified two laccase-encoding genes, <i>Mr-lac3</i> and <i>Mr-lcc2</i>, from <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i>, both of which are highly expressed during conidiation. Knocking out <i>Mr-lac3</i> and <i>Mr-lcc2</i> resulted in a significant increase in the conidial yields of <i>M. robertsii</i>. Furthermore, the relative expression levels of upstream regulators associated with the conidiation pathway were markedly up-regulated in <i>ΔMr-lac3</i> and <i>ΔMr-lcc2</i> compared to the wild-type strain during conidiation, indicating that <i>Mr-lac3</i> and <i>Mr-lcc2</i> negatively regulate conidia formation. qRT-PCR analyses revealed that <i>Mr-lac3</i> and <i>Mr-lcc2</i> are regulated by the pigment synthesis gene cluster, including <i>Mr-Pks1</i>, <i>Mr-EthD</i>, and <i>Mlac1</i>, and they also provide feedback regulation to jointly control pigment synthesis. Additionally, <i>ΔMr-lac3</i> and <i>ΔMr-lcc2</i> significantly reduced the trehalose content in conidia and increased the sensitivity to cell wall-perturbing agents, such as Congo red and guaiacol, which led to a marked decrease in tolerance to abiotic stresses. In conclusion, the laccases Mr-lac3 and Mr-lcc2 negatively regulate conidia formation while positively regulating conidial maturation, thereby enhancing tolerance to abiotic stresses and pathogenicity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bc06dc19ddd54dc8ab056b330ef11fe9 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
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| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj-art-bc06dc19ddd54dc8ab056b330ef11fe92025-08-20T02:42:32ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2025-02-0111317610.3390/jof11030176Mr-lac3 and Mr-lcc2 in <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> Regulate Conidiation and Maturation, Enhancing Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses and PathogenicityQiaoyun Wu0Yingying Ye1Yiran Liu2Yufan He3Xing Li4Siqi Yang5Tongtong Xu6Xiufang Hu7Guohong Zeng8Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metabolism and Regulation, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaZhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metabolism and Regulation, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaZhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metabolism and Regulation, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaZhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metabolism and Regulation, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaZhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metabolism and Regulation, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaZhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metabolism and Regulation, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaZhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metabolism and Regulation, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaZhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metabolism and Regulation, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaZhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metabolism and Regulation, College of Life Science and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaAs a type of multicopper oxidase, laccases play multiple biological roles in entomopathogenic fungi, enhancing their survival, development, and pathogenicity. However, the mechanisms by which laccases operate in these fungi remain under-researched. In this study, we identified two laccase-encoding genes, <i>Mr-lac3</i> and <i>Mr-lcc2</i>, from <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i>, both of which are highly expressed during conidiation. Knocking out <i>Mr-lac3</i> and <i>Mr-lcc2</i> resulted in a significant increase in the conidial yields of <i>M. robertsii</i>. Furthermore, the relative expression levels of upstream regulators associated with the conidiation pathway were markedly up-regulated in <i>ΔMr-lac3</i> and <i>ΔMr-lcc2</i> compared to the wild-type strain during conidiation, indicating that <i>Mr-lac3</i> and <i>Mr-lcc2</i> negatively regulate conidia formation. qRT-PCR analyses revealed that <i>Mr-lac3</i> and <i>Mr-lcc2</i> are regulated by the pigment synthesis gene cluster, including <i>Mr-Pks1</i>, <i>Mr-EthD</i>, and <i>Mlac1</i>, and they also provide feedback regulation to jointly control pigment synthesis. Additionally, <i>ΔMr-lac3</i> and <i>ΔMr-lcc2</i> significantly reduced the trehalose content in conidia and increased the sensitivity to cell wall-perturbing agents, such as Congo red and guaiacol, which led to a marked decrease in tolerance to abiotic stresses. In conclusion, the laccases Mr-lac3 and Mr-lcc2 negatively regulate conidia formation while positively regulating conidial maturation, thereby enhancing tolerance to abiotic stresses and pathogenicity.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/3/176<i>Metarhizium robertsii</i>laccasesMr-lac3Mr-lcc2conidiationconidial maturation |
| spellingShingle | Qiaoyun Wu Yingying Ye Yiran Liu Yufan He Xing Li Siqi Yang Tongtong Xu Xiufang Hu Guohong Zeng Mr-lac3 and Mr-lcc2 in <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> Regulate Conidiation and Maturation, Enhancing Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses and Pathogenicity Journal of Fungi <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> laccases Mr-lac3 Mr-lcc2 conidiation conidial maturation |
| title | Mr-lac3 and Mr-lcc2 in <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> Regulate Conidiation and Maturation, Enhancing Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses and Pathogenicity |
| title_full | Mr-lac3 and Mr-lcc2 in <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> Regulate Conidiation and Maturation, Enhancing Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses and Pathogenicity |
| title_fullStr | Mr-lac3 and Mr-lcc2 in <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> Regulate Conidiation and Maturation, Enhancing Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses and Pathogenicity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mr-lac3 and Mr-lcc2 in <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> Regulate Conidiation and Maturation, Enhancing Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses and Pathogenicity |
| title_short | Mr-lac3 and Mr-lcc2 in <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> Regulate Conidiation and Maturation, Enhancing Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses and Pathogenicity |
| title_sort | mr lac3 and mr lcc2 in i metarhizium robertsii i regulate conidiation and maturation enhancing tolerance to abiotic stresses and pathogenicity |
| topic | <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> laccases Mr-lac3 Mr-lcc2 conidiation conidial maturation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/3/176 |
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