Three Chitin Deacetylase Family Members of Beauveria bassiana Modulate Asexual Reproduction and Virulence of Fungi by Mediating Chitin Metabolism and Affect Fungal Parasitism and Saprophytic Life.

As an important chitin-modifying enzyme, chitin deacetylase (CDA) has been characterized in many fungi, but its function in the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana remains unclear. Three CDAs with conserved domains of the carbohydrate esterase 4 (CE-4) family were identified in B. bassiana.

The transcription factor Ron1 is required for chitin metabolism, asexual development and pathogenicity in Beauveria bassiana, an entomopathogenic fungus.

Ndt80-like transcription factor Ron1 is best known for its essential role in the regulation of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) catabolism. Ron1 was again found to be essential for sensing GlcNAc in Beauveria bassiana. Importantly, our study revealed that Ron1 is involved in the metabolic processes of chitin and asexual development.