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Exploiting host molecules to augment mycoinsecticide virulence

Nature Biotechnology volume 30, pages 35–37 (2012)Cite this article

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To the Editor:

A pressing need exists for additional tools in insect control, particularly as few new chemical pesticides are under development. Entomopathogenic fungi, such as Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana, both US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved biological control agents, offer an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical insecticides. One limitation to the use of entomopathogenic fungi is the relatively long time (6–12 days) it takes for the fungus to kill target insects. Expression of a scorpion toxin in M. anisopliae increases fungal toxicity about ninefold toward the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti1; however, expression of nonspecies-specific toxins to control mosquitoes may promote the development of toxin resistance. Ideally, a strain with enhanced virulence toward target insects with minimal nontarget effects, coupled to a decreased likelihood of the development of resistance to the agent is most desired. To meet this objective, we report a novel approach to insect control, in which expression of host molecules in an insect pathogen is exploited for augmentation of virulence.

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Figure 1: Insect bioassays and effect of fungal infection on mosquito development.

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Acknowledgements

This work was support in part by a US Department of Agriculture grant (2010-34135-21095) and a National Science Foundation grant (IOS-1121392) to N.O.K., by a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Innovation grant to N.O.K. and D.B., and by US-Israel Binational Science Foundation and the Florida Agricultural and Consumers Services grants to D.B. Y.F. was supported in part by a New Century Excellent Talents in University grant (NCET-10-0698) and by a Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of PR China grant (FANEDD, 2010067).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, Beibei, P.R. China

    Yanhua Fan

  2. Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Yanhua Fan, Almudena Ortiz-Urquiza & Nemat O Keyhani

  3. Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida, Vero Beach, Florida, USA

    Dov Borovsky & Chloe Hawkings

Authors
  1. Yanhua Fan
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  2. Dov Borovsky
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  3. Chloe Hawkings
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Correspondence to Nemat O Keyhani.

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Fan, Y., Borovsky, D., Hawkings, C. et al. Exploiting host molecules to augment mycoinsecticide virulence. Nat Biotechnol 30, 35–37 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.2080

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