Mycelium growth and conidiogenesis of Metarhizium robertsii. Metarhizium robertsii

Digital gene expression profiling analysis of the mycelium growth and conidiogenesis stages of Metarhizium robertsii Overall design: Metarhizium robertsii is a well-characterized entomopathogenic fungus that used as an important alternative to chemical insecticides in programs of agricultural pest and disease vector control. Metarhizium conidia are involved in fungal propagation and also are responsible for host infection. RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene silencing mechanism that plays an important role in gene regulation in a number of eukaryotic organisms. However, the physiological role of RNAi remains largely unclear in fungal development. Gene expression analysis was performed on mycelium growth and conidiogenesis stages of M. robertsii wild type and Δdcl2. The analysis revealed that modest changes occur in development or metabolism processes, which could explain the reduction in conidiation in Δdcl2 mutant.