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Essential role of sugar transporters BbStp13 in fungal virulence, conidiation, and cell wall integrity in entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana

Summary

Researchers studied a fungus called Beauveria bassiana that is used to control insect pests. They found that a protein called BbStp13, which helps the fungus absorb sugars, is crucial for the fungus to infect insects effectively and make spores for spreading. When they removed this protein, the fungus became less dangerous to pests and couldn’t reproduce as well, especially when there wasn’t much food available. These findings could help make this natural pest control method even better.

Background

Beauveria bassiana is an entomopathogenic fungus used for pest biological control. Sugar transporters are essential for fungal nutrition and virulence. This study identified 43 sugar transporter proteins in B. bassiana with varying expression patterns between aerial and submerged growth conditions.

Objective

To identify and characterize the role of the sugar transporter BbStp13 in fungal virulence, conidiation, cell wall integrity, and host-pathogen interactions in B. bassiana.

Results

BbStp13 was highly expressed in aerial mycelia. BbStp13 deletion impaired conidial and blastospore production particularly under low glucose conditions. The mutant showed reduced virulence in cuticle infection, altered carbohydrate profiles affecting host immune recognition, and increased sensitivity to cell wall-perturbing agents.

Conclusion

BbStp13 is essential for maintaining fungal virulence, conidia development, cell wall integrity, and immune evasion in B. bassiana. These findings provide insights into sugar transporter function in entomopathogenic fungi and identify potential targets for optimizing biocontrol efficacy.
  • Published in:Virulence,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: 10.1080/21505594.2025.2563006, PMID: 40966158
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