Functional analyses of the Gti1/Pac2 family proteins MaGti1 and MaPac2 in Metarhizium acridum

The entomopathogenic fungi, as an important resource of biocontrol agents, are of great potential in pest control due to their low possibility of producing insect resistance, environmental friendliness, and considerable diffusion capacity. However, some disadvantages, such as sensitivity to adverse conditions, poor efficiency, and high production costs, have limited their large-scale applications. Therefore, enhancing basic research intensity in entomopathogenic fungi should be beneficial to promote the production and application of mycopesticides.The Gti1/Pac2 family proteins are important transcriptional factors in fungi, and play crucial roles in regulating the growth and pathogenicity of fungi. In this study, two of the Gti1/Pac2 family protein genes, MaGti1 and MaPac2, were cloned in the model entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium acridum. And the roles of MaGti1 and MaPac2 in the growth, stress resistance, infection and pathogenicity of M. acridum were determined using the knockout and complemention strategies.