Project description:Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are important soil-dwelling entomopathogens, which can be used as biological control agents against pest insects. EPF are capable of causing lethal epizootics in pest insect populations in agroecosystems. During a survey of the orchard soil at an organic farm, different EPF species were collected and identified to species level, using both morphological and molecular techniques. The EPF were trapped from soil samples taken from an apricot orchard. The traps, which were baited in the laboratory, used susceptible host insects, including the last-instar larvae of Galleria mellonella (wax moth larvae) and Tenebrio molitor (mealworm larvae). The potential pathogenicity of the local Metarhizium majus isolate was tested and verified using susceptible laboratory-reared last-instar T. molitor larvae. The identification of the M. majus isolated from South African soil was verified using both morphological and molecular techniques. The occurrence of M. majus in the South African soil environment had not previously been reported.
Project description:Mycoviruses are widely present in all major groups of fungi but those in entomopathogenic Metarhizium spp. remain understudied. In this investigation, a novel double-stranded (ds) RNA virus is isolated from Metarhizium majus and named Metarhizium majus partitivirus 1 (MmPV1). The complete genome sequence of MmPV1 comprises two monocistronic dsRNA segments (dsRNA 1 and dsRNA 2), which encode an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and a capsid protein (CP), respectively. MmPV1 is classified as a new member of the genus Gammapartitivirus in the family Partitiviridae based on phylogenetic analysis. As compared to an MmPV1-free strain, two isogenic MmPV1-infected single-spore isolates were compromised in terms of conidiation, and tolerance to heat shock and UV-B irradiation, while these phenotypes were accompanied by transcriptional suppression of multiple genes involved in conidiation, heat shock response and DNA damage repair. MmPV1 attenuated fungal virulence since infection resulted in reduced conidiation, hydrophobicity, adhesion, and cuticular penetration. Additionally, secondary metabolites were significantly altered by MmPV1 infection, including reduced production of triterpenoids, and metarhizins A and B, and increased production of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. However, expression of individual MmPV1 proteins in M. majus had no impact on the host phenotype, suggesting insubstantive links between defective phenotypes and a single viral protein. These findings indicate that MmPV1 infection decreases M. majus fitness to its environment and its insect-pathogenic lifestyle and environment through the orchestration of the host conidiation, stress tolerance, pathogenicity, and secondary metabolism.
Project description:We used RNA-Seq to compare transcriptional responses of M. anisopliae and M. acridum to infection of the optically clear hind wings of adult locusts and cockroaches. It was calculated that >82% of predicted M. anisopliae genes and >88% of predicted M. acridum genes were expressed during pre-penetration growth. Germination and growth by M. anisopliae and M. acridum on either insect triggered high level expression of genes associated with translation and post-translational modifications. Between 6 to 10% of the genes that were highly expressed by M. anisopliae and M. acridum on host cuticles encoded cell wall proteins. Consistent with early host recognition events being key to establishing specificity, M. acridum but not M. anisopliae transcribed different Pth11-like GPCRs on locust and cockroach cuticles, thus differential activation of different signaling pathways. Examination of gene differential expressions by two different Metarhizium speceis on two different insects cuticles
Project description:BackgroundGenetic recombination maps provide important frameworks for comparative genomics, identifying gene functions, assembling genome sequences and for breeding. The molecular recombination map currently available for the model eudicot Antirrhinum majus is the result of a cross with Antirrhinum molle, limiting its usefulness within A. majus.ResultsWe created a molecular linkage map of A. majus based on segregation of markers in the F2 population of two inbred lab strains of A. majus. The resulting map consisted of over 300 markers in eight linkage groups, which could be aligned with a classical recombination map and the A. majus karyotype. The distribution of recombination frequencies and distorted transmission of parental alleles differed from those of a previous inter-species hybrid. The differences varied in magnitude and direction between chromosomes, suggesting that they had multiple causes. The map, which covered an estimated of 95% of the genome with an average interval of 2 cM, was used to analyze the distribution of a newly discovered family of MITE transposons and tested for its utility in positioning seven mutations that affect aspects of plant size.ConclusionsThe current map has an estimated interval of 1.28 Mb between markers. It shows a lower level of transmission ratio distortion and a longer length than the previous inter-species map, making it potentially more useful. The molecular recombination map further indicates that the IDLE MITE transposons are distributed throughout the genome and are relatively stable. The map proved effective in mapping classical morphological mutations of A. majus.
Project description:Extensive phytochemical investigation on the whole herbs of Delphinium anthriscifolium var. majus led to the identification of fourteen diterpenoid alkaloids, including three new C20-diterpenoid alkaloids (anthriscifolsines A-C, 1-3), six new C19-diterpenoid alkaloids (anthriscifolrines A-F, 4-9), and five know compounds (10-14). Among them, anthriscifolsine A represents a novel C20-diterpenoid alkaloid characterized by a seco C-ring. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, including HR-ESI-MS, X-ray, and 1D and 2D NMR experiments. Bioactivity of compounds 3-6 was evaluated for their cytotoxicity against the MCF-7, HepG2 and H460 cancer cell lines.