Determination of cytosine methylation patterns in Metarhizium anisopliae during distinct lifestyles

The Metarhizium genus harbors important entomopathogenic and arthropod-pathogenic fungi. These species have been widely explored as biological control agents. Thus, the interaction between Metarhizium species and the respective hosts have been explored in a molecular fashion. However, the impact of epigenetic modulation on the infection cycle of Metarhizium species is little understood. Among the different epigenetic modifications, DNA methylation of cytosine bases is an important mechanism to control gene expression in several organisms. To better understand if DNA methylation can govern Metarhizium-host interactions, the genome-wide DNA methylation profile of Metarhizium anisopliae was explored in two conditions: tick mimicked infection and a saprophytic-like control.

绿僵菌属（Metarhizium）包含重要的昆虫病原真菌与节肢动物病原真菌。该属物种作为生物防治剂已得到广泛研究与应用。因此，学界已从分子层面探究绿僵菌物种与其对应宿主之间的互作机制。然而，表观遗传调控（epigenetic modulation）对绿僵菌物种侵染循环的影响仍鲜为人知。在各类表观遗传修饰中，胞嘧啶碱基的DNA甲基化（DNA methylation of cytosine bases）是调控多种生物基因表达的重要机制。为进一步明确DNA甲基化是否可调控绿僵菌与宿主的互作关系，本研究针对金龟子绿僵菌（Metarhizium anisopliae）在两种条件下的全基因组DNA甲基化谱（genome-wide DNA methylation profile）展开了分析：蜱虫模拟侵染组与类腐生对照组。