ARS | Publication request: An in vivo transcriptome for entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii ARSEF 2575

Submitted to: Fungal Genetics Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 1, 2011
Publication Date: March 15, 2011
Citation: Donzelli, B., Roe, B., Schneider, D.J., Declerck, G., Churchill, A.L., Gibson, D.M. 2011. An in vivo transcriptome for entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii ARSEF 2575. Fungal Genetics Conference Proceedings. p. 118.

Technical Abstract: Molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenic process of the insect pathogen Metarhizium robertsii ARSEF 2575 in its host are only partially understood. To probe the transcriptional responses of the fungus during the interaction with insects, we have developed a method to specifically recover pathogen transcripts from infected Spodoptera exigua (beet armyworm) larvae. cDNA was sequenced using the Roche 454 GS-FLX platform and the resulting 344,678 reads were attributed to either the pathogen or the host based on similarity searches against the GenBank nr and est_others databases. 14,298, out of 34,652, unigenes, had significant and specific similarity to known fungal proteins or transcripts, while 2,748 unigenes were attributable to the host. All the M. robertsii virulence factors described to date were represented, alongside with several novel transcripts potentially involved in virulence, including cell wall proteins, iron homeostasis genes and hydrolytic enzymes. On the host side, the library contained mainly transcripts of housekeeping genes, and only ~50 could be associated with immune defense responses. A more complete annotation of the library based on a draft of the M. robertsii ARSEF 2575 genome is in progress.