| Summary: | <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> is a dimorphic and entomopathogenic fungus with different ecological roles in nature. In pathogenic fungi, yeast-to-mycelial conversion, which is controlled by environmental factors, is required for virulence. Here, we studied the effects of different stimuli on the morphology of two <i>B. bassiana</i> strains and compared the toxicities of culture filtrates. In addition, we explored the role of volatiles as quorum sensing-like signals during dimorphic transition. The killing assays in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) showed that strain AI2 isolated from a mycosed insect cadaver had higher toxicity than strain AS5 isolated from soil. Furthermore, AI2 showed earlier yeast-to-mycelial switching than AS5. However, an increase in inoculum size induced faster yeast-to-mycelium conversion in AS5 cells, suggesting a cell-density-dependent phenomenon. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses showed that the fingerprint of the volatiles was strain-specific; however, during the morphological switching, an inverse relationship between the abundance of total terpenes and 3-methylbutanol was observed in both strains. Fungal exposure to 3-methylbutanol retarded the yeast-to-mycelium transition. Hence, this study provides evidence that volatile compounds are associated with critical events in the life cycle of <i>B. bassiana</i>.
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