Environmental Microbiology (2015) 17, 1119-1133

Lei Qiu, Juan-Juan Wang, Sheng-Hua Ying and Ming-Guang Feng (2015)
Wee1 and Cdc25 control morphogenesis, virulence and multistress tolerance of Beauveria bassiana by balancing cell cycle-required cyclin-dependent kinase 1 activity
Environmental Microbiology 17 (4), 1119-1133
Abstract: Modification of cell cycle in entomopathogenic fungi is likely crucial for host infection and environmental adaptation. Here we show that Wee1 and Cdc25 can balance cell cycle-required cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) activity in Beauveria bassiana. The Cdk1 phosporylation signal was strong in Deltacdc25 but very weak in Deltawee1 and absent in Deltawee1Deltacdc25. Consequently, cell cycles, septation patterns and many septation-dependent gene transcripts of these mutants were reversely changed. Hyphal cells were short in Deltawee1, slender in Deltacdc25 and short and swollen in Deltawee1Deltacdc25. Conidiation was most defective in Deltawee1, followed by Deltacdc25. Their conidia and yeast-like blastospores also altered antagonistically in both size and complexity, accompanied with abnormally branched germlings in Deltawee1 and Deltawee1Deltacdc25. Conidial thermotolerance and UV-B resistance decreased much more in Deltawee1Deltacdc25 than in Deltawee1 but significantly increased in Deltacdc25. The double deletion and the point mutation Cdk1^T14A/P15F for inhibitory phosphorylation caused most defective virulence, followed by wee1 deletion. All the changes were restored by ectopic gene complementation. Virulence changes in all the mutants and control strains were highly correlated to those in blastospore size or complexity. Taken together, Wee1 and Cdc25 control cell cycle, morphogenesis, asexual development, stress tolerance and virulence of B. bassiana by balancing the Cdk1 activity.
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Link to article at publishers website

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
molecular biology - genes

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Beauveria bassiana (entomopathogen)