Comparative genomics of Metarhizium brunneum strains V275 and ARSEF 4556: unraveling intraspecies diversity.

Entomopathogenic fungi belonging to the Order Hypocreales are renowned for their ability to infect and kill insect hosts, while their endophytic mode of life and the beneficial rhizosphere effects on plant hosts have only been recently recognized. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying their different lifestyles could optimize their potential as both biocontrol and biofertilizer agents, as well as the wider appreciation of niche plasticity in fungal ecology. This study describes the comprehensive whole genome sequencing and analysis of one of the most effective entomopathogenic and endophytic EPF strains, Metarhizium brunneum V275 (commercially known as Lalguard Met52), achieved through Nanopore and Illumina reads.

Evaluation of and -Derived VOCs as Dual-Active Biostimulants and Pest Repellents in a Wireworm-Infested Potato Field.

Wireworm, the larval stages of click beetles, are a serious pest of tubers, brassicas and other important commercial crops throughout the northern hemisphere. No effective control agent has been developed specifically for them, and many of the pesticides marketed as having secondary application against them have been withdrawn from EU and Asian markets. , an effective entomopathogenic fungus, and its derived volatile metabolites are known to be effective plant biostimulants and plant protectants, although field efficacy has yet to be validated.

(Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) and Its Derived Volatile Organic Compounds as Biostimulants of Commercially Valuable Angiosperms and Gymnosperms.

is a highly effective entomopathogenic fungus that also functions as a plant biostimulant. It can act as both an endophyte and rhizosphere colonizer; however, the mechanisms driving biostimulation are multifactorial. In this work, oilseed rape () seeds were grown in composts treated with different concentrations of strains ARSEF 4556 or V275, or the -derived volatile organic compounds 1-octen-3-ol and 3-octanone.

Mitogenomics and mitochondrial gene phylogeny decipher the evolution of Saccharomycotina yeasts.

Saccharomycotina yeasts belong to diverse clades within the kingdom of fungi and are important to human everyday life. This work investigates the evolutionary relationships among these yeasts from a mitochondrial (mt) genomic perspective. A comparative study of 155 yeast mt genomes representing all major phylogenetic lineages of Saccharomycotina was performed, including genome size and content variability, intron and intergenic regions' diversity, genetic code alterations, and syntenic variation.

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.

Background: More accurate and complete reference genomes have improved understanding of gene function, biology, and evolutionary mechanisms. Hybrid genome assembly approaches leverage benefits of both long, relatively error-prone reads from third-generation sequencing technologies and short, accurate reads from second-generation sequencing technologies, to produce more accurate and contiguous de novo genome assemblies in comparison to using either technology independently. In this study, we present a novel hybrid assembly pipeline that allowed for both mitogenome de novo assembly and telomere length de novo assembly of all 7 chromosomes of the model entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium brunneum.

The mitochondrial genome contribution to the phylogeny and identification of Metarhizium species and strains.

The genus Metarhizium is composed of entomopathogenic fungal biological control agents (BCAs) used for invertebrate pest control. The phylogenetic relationships of species within this genus are still under scrutiny as several cryptic species can be found. In this work, the mitochondrial (mt) genome of Metarhizium brunneum ARSEF 4556 was fully sequenced and a comparative genome analysis was conducted with 7 other available mt genomes, belonging to 5 Metarhizium species: M.

The mitochondrial intergenic regions nad1-cob and cob-rps3 as molecular identification tools for pathogenic members of the genus Cryptococcus.

Cryptococcus spp. are fungal species belonging to Tremellomycetes, Agaricomycotina, Basidiomycota, and several members are responsible for cryptococcosis, one of the most ubiquitous human mycoses. Affecting mainly immunosuppressed patients, but also immunocompetent ones, the members of this genus present a high level of genetic diversity.