Infection of the Western Flower Thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, by the Insect Pathogenic Fungus <i>Beauveria bassiana</i>
The western flower thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, is an aggressive agricultural insect pest causing significant damage to a wide range of fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops. <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> is a broad-host-range entomopathogenic fungus capable of inf...
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/10/1910 |
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| author | Zhijian Zhang Changying Zheng Nemat O. Keyhani Yulin Gao Junping Wang |
| author_facet | Zhijian Zhang Changying Zheng Nemat O. Keyhani Yulin Gao Junping Wang |
| author_sort | Zhijian Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The western flower thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, is an aggressive agricultural insect pest causing significant damage to a wide range of fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops. <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> is a broad-host-range entomopathogenic fungus capable of infecting and killing <i>F. occidentalis</i>. Infection of thrips by <i>B. bassiana</i> strain BbYT12 using a concentration of 1 × 10<sup>8</sup> conidia/mL resulted in 81.48% mortality in adults in 6 d (LT<sub>50</sub> = 90 ± 15.1 h). Scanning electron microscopy of the infection process revealed preferential adhesion and germination of fungal spores to inter-segmental folds or grooves on the insect body surface with penetrating germlings and extended hyphae visualized during the initial stages of infection (6–24 h). Histological analyses showed the appearance of in vivo hyphal bodies in sagittal sections and the fat body as early as 24 h post-infection. Within 72 h, hyphal bodies and hyphae could be found throughout the infected organism including in the midgut, Malphigian tubules, alimentary canal, ovarioles (in females), and an extended hyphal network could be seen on insect cadavers (>72 h post-infection). Real-time RT-PCR analyses of the expression of select genes implicated in virulence including the <i>Pr1</i> protease, beauvericin synthase, involved in the production of the secondary metabolite beauvericin, two cytochrome P450 monooxygenases implicated in cuticular hydrocarbon degradation, two multidrug efflux proteins, a perilipin involved in lipid storage, and the Hog1 MAP kinase and protein kinase A signaling factors revealed discrete patterns of infection-time dependent expression. These data provide basic insights into the process of <i>B. bassiana</i> infection of <i>F. occidentalis</i>. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:47:55Z |
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| id | doaj.art-19f2d33ccde34d7ab8e6b4aaea26fbf0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:47:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-19f2d33ccde34d7ab8e6b4aaea26fbf02023-11-22T17:05:38ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952021-09-011110191010.3390/agronomy11101910Infection of the Western Flower Thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, by the Insect Pathogenic Fungus <i>Beauveria bassiana</i>Zhijian Zhang0Changying Zheng1Nemat O. Keyhani2Yulin Gao3Junping Wang4College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, ChinaCollege of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, ChinaDepartment of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAState Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, ChinaCollege of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, ChinaThe western flower thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, is an aggressive agricultural insect pest causing significant damage to a wide range of fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops. <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> is a broad-host-range entomopathogenic fungus capable of infecting and killing <i>F. occidentalis</i>. Infection of thrips by <i>B. bassiana</i> strain BbYT12 using a concentration of 1 × 10<sup>8</sup> conidia/mL resulted in 81.48% mortality in adults in 6 d (LT<sub>50</sub> = 90 ± 15.1 h). Scanning electron microscopy of the infection process revealed preferential adhesion and germination of fungal spores to inter-segmental folds or grooves on the insect body surface with penetrating germlings and extended hyphae visualized during the initial stages of infection (6–24 h). Histological analyses showed the appearance of in vivo hyphal bodies in sagittal sections and the fat body as early as 24 h post-infection. Within 72 h, hyphal bodies and hyphae could be found throughout the infected organism including in the midgut, Malphigian tubules, alimentary canal, ovarioles (in females), and an extended hyphal network could be seen on insect cadavers (>72 h post-infection). Real-time RT-PCR analyses of the expression of select genes implicated in virulence including the <i>Pr1</i> protease, beauvericin synthase, involved in the production of the secondary metabolite beauvericin, two cytochrome P450 monooxygenases implicated in cuticular hydrocarbon degradation, two multidrug efflux proteins, a perilipin involved in lipid storage, and the Hog1 MAP kinase and protein kinase A signaling factors revealed discrete patterns of infection-time dependent expression. These data provide basic insights into the process of <i>B. bassiana</i> infection of <i>F. occidentalis</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/10/1910<i>Beauveria bassiana</i><i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>biopesticidespathogenesishistologygene expression |
| spellingShingle | Zhijian Zhang Changying Zheng Nemat O. Keyhani Yulin Gao Junping Wang Infection of the Western Flower Thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, by the Insect Pathogenic Fungus <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> Agronomy <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i> biopesticides pathogenesis histology gene expression |
| title | Infection of the Western Flower Thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, by the Insect Pathogenic Fungus <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> |
| title_full | Infection of the Western Flower Thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, by the Insect Pathogenic Fungus <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> |
| title_fullStr | Infection of the Western Flower Thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, by the Insect Pathogenic Fungus <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Infection of the Western Flower Thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, by the Insect Pathogenic Fungus <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> |
| title_short | Infection of the Western Flower Thrips, <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>, by the Insect Pathogenic Fungus <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> |
| title_sort | infection of the western flower thrips i frankliniella occidentalis i by the insect pathogenic fungus i beauveria bassiana i |
| topic | <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i> biopesticides pathogenesis histology gene expression |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/10/1910 |
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