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Interaction between Metarhizium anisopliae and Its Host, the Subterranean Termite Coptotermes curvignathus during the Infection Process

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The use of Metarhizium anisopliae as a biological control of insect pests has been experimented in the laboratory as well as in field trials. This includes against the termite Coptotermes curvignathus, however the results have varying degrees of success. One reason could be due to th...

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Autores principales: Syazwan, Samsuddin Ahmad, Lee, Shiou Yih, Sajap, Ahmad Said, Lau, Wei Hong, Omar, Dzolkhifli, Mohamed, Rozi
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8065498/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33806225
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biology10040263
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author Syazwan, Samsuddin Ahmad
Lee, Shiou Yih
Sajap, Ahmad Said
Lau, Wei Hong
Omar, Dzolkhifli
Mohamed, Rozi
author_facet Syazwan, Samsuddin Ahmad
Lee, Shiou Yih
Sajap, Ahmad Said
Lau, Wei Hong
Omar, Dzolkhifli
Mohamed, Rozi
author_sort Syazwan, Samsuddin Ahmad
collection PubMed
description SIMPLE SUMMARY: The use of Metarhizium anisopliae as a biological control of insect pests has been experimented in the laboratory as well as in field trials. This includes against the termite Coptotermes curvignathus, however the results have varying degrees of success. One reason could be due to the lack of detailed knowledge on the molecular pathogenesis of M. anisopliae. In the current study, the conidial suspension of M. anisopliae isolate PR1 was first inoculated on the C. curvignathus, after which the pathogenesis was examined using two different approaches: electron microscopy and protein expression. At the initiation stage, the progression observed and documented including adhesion, germination, and penetration of the fungus on the cuticle within 24 h after inoculation. Later, this was followed by colonization and spreading of the fungus at the cellular level. Proteomics of C. curvignathus witnessed the expression of proteins related to cell regulation and defense, while in M. anisopliae, protein related to transport and fungal virulence were expressed throughout the infection. These findings offer relevant knowledge for use in the development of M. anisopliae as a prospective biological control agent for termites in the future. ABSTRACT: Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin, a pathogenic fungus to insects, infects the subterranean termite, Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren, a devastating pest of plantation trees in the tropics. Electron microscopy and proteomics were used to investigate the infection and developmental process of M. anisopliae in C. curvignathus. Fungal infection was initiated by germ tube penetration through the host’s cuticle as observed at 6 h post-inoculation (PI), after which it elongated into the host’s integumental tissue. The colonization process continued as seen from dissemination of blastospores in the hemocoel at 96 h PI. At this time point, the emergent mycelia had mummified the host and forty-eight hours later, new conidia were dispersed on the termites’ body surface. Meanwhile, hyphal bodies were observed in abundance in the intercellular space in the host’s body. The proteomes of the pathogen and host were isolated separately using inoculated termite samples withdrawn at each PI-time point and analyzed in two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) gels. Proteins expressed in termites showed evidence of being related to cell regulation and the immune response, while those expressed in M. anisopliae, to transportation and fungal virulence. This study provides new information on the interaction between termites and its entomopathogen, with potential utilization for developing future biopesticide to control the termite population.
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spelling pubmed-80654982021-04-25 Interaction between Metarhizium anisopliae and Its Host, the Subterranean Termite Coptotermes curvignathus during the Infection Process Syazwan, Samsuddin Ahmad Lee, Shiou Yih Sajap, Ahmad Said Lau, Wei Hong Omar, Dzolkhifli Mohamed, Rozi Biology (Basel) Article SIMPLE SUMMARY: The use of Metarhizium anisopliae as a biological control of insect pests has been experimented in the laboratory as well as in field trials. This includes against the termite Coptotermes curvignathus, however the results have varying degrees of success. One reason could be due to the lack of detailed knowledge on the molecular pathogenesis of M. anisopliae. In the current study, the conidial suspension of M. anisopliae isolate PR1 was first inoculated on the C. curvignathus, after which the pathogenesis was examined using two different approaches: electron microscopy and protein expression. At the initiation stage, the progression observed and documented including adhesion, germination, and penetration of the fungus on the cuticle within 24 h after inoculation. Later, this was followed by colonization and spreading of the fungus at the cellular level. Proteomics of C. curvignathus witnessed the expression of proteins related to cell regulation and defense, while in M. anisopliae, protein related to transport and fungal virulence were expressed throughout the infection. These findings offer relevant knowledge for use in the development of M. anisopliae as a prospective biological control agent for termites in the future. ABSTRACT: Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin, a pathogenic fungus to insects, infects the subterranean termite, Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren, a devastating pest of plantation trees in the tropics. Electron microscopy and proteomics were used to investigate the infection and developmental process of M. anisopliae in C. curvignathus. Fungal infection was initiated by germ tube penetration through the host’s cuticle as observed at 6 h post-inoculation (PI), after which it elongated into the host’s integumental tissue. The colonization process continued as seen from dissemination of blastospores in the hemocoel at 96 h PI. At this time point, the emergent mycelia had mummified the host and forty-eight hours later, new conidia were dispersed on the termites’ body surface. Meanwhile, hyphal bodies were observed in abundance in the intercellular space in the host’s body. The proteomes of the pathogen and host were isolated separately using inoculated termite samples withdrawn at each PI-time point and analyzed in two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) gels. Proteins expressed in termites showed evidence of being related to cell regulation and the immune response, while those expressed in M. anisopliae, to transportation and fungal virulence. This study provides new information on the interaction between termites and its entomopathogen, with potential utilization for developing future biopesticide to control the termite population. MDPI 2021-03-25 /pmc/articles/PMC8065498/ /pubmed/33806225 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biology10040263 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) ).
spellingShingle Article
Syazwan, Samsuddin Ahmad
Lee, Shiou Yih
Sajap, Ahmad Said
Lau, Wei Hong
Omar, Dzolkhifli
Mohamed, Rozi
Interaction between Metarhizium anisopliae and Its Host, the Subterranean Termite Coptotermes curvignathus during the Infection Process
title Interaction between Metarhizium anisopliae and Its Host, the Subterranean Termite Coptotermes curvignathus during the Infection Process
title_full Interaction between Metarhizium anisopliae and Its Host, the Subterranean Termite Coptotermes curvignathus during the Infection Process
title_fullStr Interaction between Metarhizium anisopliae and Its Host, the Subterranean Termite Coptotermes curvignathus during the Infection Process
title_full_unstemmed Interaction between Metarhizium anisopliae and Its Host, the Subterranean Termite Coptotermes curvignathus during the Infection Process
title_short Interaction between Metarhizium anisopliae and Its Host, the Subterranean Termite Coptotermes curvignathus during the Infection Process
title_sort interaction between metarhizium anisopliae and its host, the subterranean termite coptotermes curvignathus during the infection process
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8065498/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33806225
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biology10040263
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