Metabolism of plant-derived toxins from its insect host increases the success of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana.

Publisher: Nature Pub. Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101301086 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1751-7370 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17517362 NLM ISO Abbreviation: ISME J Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : Nature Pub. Group

Beauveria* ; Insecticides* ; Aphids*; Animals ; Glucosinolates ; Insecta ; Isothiocyanates

Beauveria bassiana is a soil fungus that parasitizes a large number of arthropod species, including numerous crop pests, causing white muscardine disease and is therefore used as a biological insecticide. However, some insects, such as the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae), defend themselves chemically by sequestering dietary pro-toxins (glucosinolates) from their Brassicales host plants. Glucosinolates are accumulated by cabbage aphids and activated to form toxic isothiocyanates when under attack. While isothiocyanate formation protects aphids against most attackers, B. bassiana is still able to infect the cabbage aphid under natural conditions. We therefore investigated how this fungus is able to circumvent the chemical defense system of the cabbage aphid. Here, we describe how B. bassiana infection activates the cabbage aphid defense system, but the resulting toxins are metabolized by B. bassiana via the mercapturic acid pathway, of which the first step is catalyzed by glutathione-S-transferases of low substrate specificity. This detoxification pathway enhances B. bassiana growth when isothiocyanates are present in natural concentrations, and so appears to be an important factor in fungal parasitization of these chemically defended aphids.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)

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0 (Glucosinolates)
0 (Insecticides)
0 (Isothiocyanates)

Date Created: 20230721 Date Completed: 20230918 Latest Revision: 20230922

20240829

PMC10504261

10.1038/s41396-023-01480-3

37479887