Accumulation of pyrethroids induces changes in metabolism of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana—Proteomic and lipidomic background

Abstract

Advances in the agrochemical industry, such as using plant protection products e.g. pyrethroid insecticides, lead to environmental pollution via the accumulation of toxic compounds in soil. An interesting approach to overcoming this threat is using biopreparations based on entomopathogenic fungi that come into contact with the residues of the insecticides in the environment. The aim of this study was to determine whether the soil-dwelling entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana ARSEF 2860 is capable of accumulating pyrethroids (λ-cyhalothrin, α-cypermethrin and deltamethrin) and to identify the metabolomics and proteomic implications of this process. In this work, we demonstrated for the first time that the tested fungus accumulated pyrethroids as early as on day 2 of incubation with an average efficiency of 90%. Pyrethroids accumulated in large quantities in the mycelium of B. bassiana induced oxidative stress and interacted differently with the enzymes of the basic metabolic pathways, enzymes associated with the organization of the actin cytoskeleton and cell walls, as well as extracellular enzymes responsible for the infectious abilities (α-cypermethrin caused a 61% decrease in PR1, λ-cyhalothrin - a 31% decrease in PR2, which are proteolytic enzymes with a confirmed role in the infectious process). This study also revealed that the accumulated pyrethroids decreased the activity of phospholipase C, which increased the triacylglycerols/diacylglycerols (TAG/DAG) ratio, especially in mycelium in which α-cypermethrin was accumulated. It should be emphasized that the accumulation of pyrethroids in the environment is not fully understood, and current research suggests that entomopathogenic fungi may be part of the process.