Abstract
Covering: 2014 up to the third quarter of 2019 Entomopathogens constitute a unique, specialized trophic subgroup of fungi, most of whose members belong to the order Hypocreales (class Sordariomycetes, phylum Ascomycota). These Hypocrealean Entomopathogenic Fungi (HEF) produce a large variety of secondary metabolites (SMs) and their genomes rank highly for the number of predicted, unique SM biosynthetic gene clusters. SMs from HEF have diverse roles in insect pathogenicity as virulence factors by modulating various interactions between the producer fungus and its insect host. In addition, these SMs also defend the carcass of the prey against opportunistic microbial invaders, mediate intra- and interspecies communication, and mitigate abiotic and biotic stresses. Thus, these SMs contribute to the role of HEF as commercial biopesticides in the context of integrated pest management systems, and provide lead compounds for the development of chemical pesticides for crop protection. These bioactive SMs also underpin the widespread use of certain HEF as nutraceuticals and traditional remedies, and allowed the modern pharmaceutical industry to repurpose some of these molecules as life-saving human medications. Herein, we survey the structures and biological activities of SMs described from HEF, and summarize new information on the roles of these metabolites in fungal virulence.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1181-1206 |
| Journal | Natural Product Reports |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 23 Sept 2020 |
| MoE publication type | A2 Review article in a scientific journal |
Funding
Work in the authors' laboratories is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFA0901800 to Y. X.); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31870076 and 31570093 to Y. X., 31500079 to L. Z.); the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS-ASTIP to Y. X. and L. Z.); the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch project (ARZT-1361640-H12-224 to I. M.); the Higher Education Institutional Excellence Program of the Ministry of Human Capacities in Hungary (NKFIH-1150-6/ 2019 to I. M.); and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIGMS 5R01GM114418 to I. M.).
