Metarhizium brunneum

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Metarhizium brunneum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Sordariomycetes
Order: Hypocreales
Family: Clavicipitaceae
Genus: Metarhizium
Species:
M. brunneum
Binomial name
Metarhizium brunneum
Petch, 1935

Metarhizium brunneum is the re-instated [1] name of a group of reassigned Metarhizium isolates, previously grouped in the species " Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae": based on a multigene phylogenetic approach using near-complete sequences from nuclear DNA. It is a mitosporic fungus with asexual reproduction, which was formerly classified in the form class Hyphomycetes of the form phylum Deuteromycota (also often called Fungi Imperfecti). M. brunneum has been isolated from Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and soil samples, but a commercially developed isolate (below) has proved virulent against Hemiptera and Thysanoptera.

Contents

Genome

The genome of M. brunneum was the first in the genus to be completely assembled. The 7 chromosomes and mitogenome have a total sequence length of 37,796,881. The sequencing and assembly was performed at Swansea University in 2021. [2]

Standard isolate and characteristics

Bischoff et al.[1] state: "There is no viable ex-type culture for M. brunneum Petch. However ARSEF 2107 (from Oregon, USA) is considered an authentic strain because the taxon's author, Petch, [3] identified it and we designate it here as an ex-epitype. ... an ex-epitype (BPI 878297) derived from a living culture (ARSEF 1914) is designated for this taxon." Metarhizium brunneum is the most basal lineage in the clade called 'PARB' in which it appears impossible to differentiate isolates of M. brunneum from M. anisopliae, on morphological characteristics alone (with the exception of the presumptive colour mutant ARSEF 2107).

Conidia typically measure 4.5–8.0 μm long x 2.0–3.0 μm diameter: similar to several other Metarhizuim species. Petch designated a type collection from the Philippines, which he described as turning brown in mature colonies. This colour variant may occur regularly in nature based on the fact that Petch had identified a number of isolates as M. brunneum from geographically distant locations. However it is important to note that the majority of M. brunneum isolates examined by Bischoff et al. were olive-green in colour (similar to M. anisopliae), rather than the buff and tan pigmentation described for the type specimen and the ex-epitype cultures, respectively.

Applications

Varroa mite (honeybees)

In 2021, a custom-bred strain of M. brunneum was created to target and kill the varroa mite that afflicts honeybee populations. That strain was bred to be heat-tolerant, raising the percentage of spores that germinated at 35 °C—the temperature of a typical beehive— from 44% to 70%. A second breeding effort increased the deadliness of the strain from 4% just over 60%. [4]

Important isolates

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Bischoff J.F.; Rehner S.A. Humber R.A. (2009). "A multilocus phylogeny of the Metarhizium anisopliae lineage". Mycologia. 101 (4): 512–530. doi:10.3852/07-202. PMID   19623931. S2CID   28369561.
  2. ↑ Saud, Z.; Kortsinoglou, A.M.; Kouvelis, V.N.; Butt, T.M. (2021). "Telomere length de novo assembly of all 7 chromosomes and mitogenome sequencing of the model entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium brunneum, by means of a novel assembly pipeline". BMC Genomics. 22 (1): 87. doi: 10.1186/s12864-021-07390-y . PMC   7842015 . PMID   33509090.
  3. ↑ Petch T. (1935). "Notes on entomogenous fungi". Transactions of the British Mycological Society. 19: 55–75. doi:10.1016/s0007-1536(31)80006-3.
  4. ↑ Stokstad, Erik (2021-06-04). "Scientists evolve a fungus to battle deadly honey bee parasite". Science | AAAS. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  5. ↑ "Agriculture". www.bioag.novozymes.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Conclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance Metarhizium anisopliaevar.anisopliaeBIPESCO 5/F52". EFSA Journal. 10: 2498. 2012. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2498 .
  7. ↑ GVP Reddy; Z Zhao; RA Humber (2014). "Laboratory and field efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi for the management of the sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius (Coleoptera: Brentidae)". Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 122: 10–15. doi: 10.1016/j.jip.2014.07.009 . PMID   25111763.
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