The basic leucine zipper domain (bZIP) transcription factor BbYap1 promotes evasion of host humoral immunity and regulates lipid homeostasis contributing to fungal virulence in Beauveria bassiana.

ABSTRACT

Basic leucine zipper domain transcription factors (TFs), of which yeast activator protein (Yap) is a significant class, are crucial for the development of sclerotia, the stress response, vegetative growth, and spore adhesion. Nevertheless, nothing is known about how Yap TFs contribute to the pathogenicity of entomopathogenic fungus. In this work, Beauveria bassiana was used to identify and knock out the yeast gene BbYap1, which is similar to Yap. The BbYap1 gene deletion has an impact on lipid homeostasis of B. bassiana; oleic acid, for example, dropped by 95.69%. The BbYap1 mutant exhibited much less virulence and vegetative development in comparison to the wild strain, while demonstrating a greater sensitivity to chemical stress. It is noteworthy that the physiological abnormalities brought on by BbYap1 deletion were largely repaired by the addition of exogenous oleic acid, as seen by the notable increase in insect survival in the blood cavity injection group. Following infection with the BbYap1 mutant, the host exhibits a considerable down-regulation of the expression of ß-1,3-glucan recognition protein, gallerimycin, gloverin, and moricin-like protein genes. Likewise, the introduction of exogenous oleic acid markedly increased the host's expression of the aforementioned genes. In summary, BbYap1 regulates cellular enzyme lipid homeostasis and fungal virulence by eluding host humoral defense, which contributes to fungal chemical stress and vegetative development. IMPORTANCE Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) offer an effective and eco-friendly alternative to curb insect populations in biocontrol strategy. When EPF enter the hemolymph of their host, they encounter a variety of stress reactions, such as immunological and oxidative stress. Basic leucine zipper domain transcription factors, of which yeast activator protein (Yap) is a significant class, have diverse biological functions related to metabolism, development, reproduction, conidiation, stress responses, and pathogenicity. This study demonstrates that BbYap1 of Beauveria bassiana regulates cellular enzyme lipid homeostasis and fungal virulence by eluding host humoral defense, which contributes to fungal chemical stress and vegetative development. These findings offer fresh perspectives for comprehending molecular roles of YAP in EPF.