Abstract
Metabolites from a collection of selected fungal isolates have been screened for insecticidal activity against the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. Crude organic extracts of culture filtrates from six fungal isolates (Paecilomyces lilacinus, Pochonia chlamydosporia, Penicillium griseofulvum, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Talaromyces pinophilus) caused mortality of aphids within 72 h after treatment. In this work, bioassay-guided fractionation has been used to characterize the main bioactive metabolites accumulated in fungal extracts. Leucinostatins A, B and D represent the bioactive compounds produced by P. lilacinus. From P. griseofulvum and B. bassiana extracts, griseofulvin and beauvericin have been isolated, respectively; 3-O-Methylfunicone and a mixture of destruxins have been found in the active fractions of T. pinophilum and M. anisopliae, respectively. A novel azaphilone compound, we named chlamyphilone, with significant insecticidal activity, has been isolated from the culture filtrate of P. chlamydosporia. Its structure has been determined using extensive spectroscopic methods and chemical derivatization.
Highlights
Alarm over the impact of pesticides on the environment and human health is increasing year after year, and rigorous pesticide registration procedures have been introduced
We show the results of a screening aimed to isolate microbial metabolites with insecticidal activity
The microbes used in the present study includes various genera of fungi identified according to morphological features and molecular analyses
Summary
Alarm over the impact of pesticides on the environment and human health is increasing year after year, and rigorous pesticide registration procedures have been introduced. 2009/128/EC, the European Community has severely restricted the use of synthetic pesticides in plant protection, and the new regulations have reduced the number of chemicals available in agriculture [1]. Novel pesticides, including natural product-based formulations, have been developed to counteract the evolution of resistance among plant pathogen and pest populations [2]. The exploitation of the microbial metabolome has become an important area of research to isolate novel natural products potentially useful for agricultural applications [3]. The improvement of screening technologies can be used to extend the search of new microbial active metabolites, i.e., through (i) upgrading of fermentation techniques, (ii) the development of new methods for detection, and (iii) genetic manipulation to create mutants able to produce qualitatively or quantitatively different metabolites [4]
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