The Metarhizium anisopliae Strains Expressing dsRNA of the NlCHSA Enhance Virulence to the Brown Planthopper Nilaparvata lugens

Jun Hu, He Cui, Mingsheng Hong, Yuxian Xia () and Wenqing Zhang ()
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Jun Hu: College of Plant Protection, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taegu 030801, China
He Cui: State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Mingsheng Hong: School of Life Sciences, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticides, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Yuxian Xia: School of Life Sciences, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticides, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Wenqing Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-7

Abstract: Metarhizium anisopliae is a broad-spectrum entomopathogenic fungus with large-scale applications in pest control; however, its slow-killing action is a limiting factor. To enhance fungal virulence, we constructed transgenic M. anisopliae strains that expressed dsRNA targeting the chitin synthase gene A in the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens ( NlCHSA ). The transcription of NlCHSA was suppressed in N. lugens infected by transgenic M. anisopliae strains. Consequently, the cumulative mortality of N. lugens caused by those transgenic strains was increased by 34.7–40.0% on day 6 after inoculation, and their median lethal times (LT 50 ) were about 50% compared to the wild-type strain. Our results demonstrate that dsRNA expression in M. anisopliae caused RNA silencing in the host insect after infection and hence greatly enhanced the fungal virulence, highlighting a new strategy for augmentation of fungal virulence against sucking pests.

Keywords: Metarhizium anisopliae; RNA interference; chitin synthase; virulence; Nilaparvata lugens (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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