MAPK Pathways Coordinate Stress Adaptation by Mobilizing Specialized Gene Modules in Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana

Huang, Shuaishuai; Fan, Hailing; Zhu, Chenhua; Li, Meixian; Liu, Leilei; Bai, Mengdi; Zhou, Yonghong; Zhang, Yongjun

doi:10.3390/jof11120839

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MAPK Pathways Coordinate Stress Adaptation by Mobilizing Specialized Gene Modules in Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana

by

Shuaishuai Huang

^1,2,†,

Hailing Fan

^1,†,

Chenhua Zhu

³

,

Meixian Li

¹,

Leilei Liu

¹,

Mengdi Bai

¹,

Yonghong Zhou

^1,2,* and

Yongjun Zhang

^3,*

¹

Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, China

²

Yani Wetland Ecosystem Positioning Observation and Research Station, Tibet University, Nyingchi 860000, China

³

Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400700, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

J. Fungi 2025, 11(12), 839; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11120839 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 7 August 2025 / Revised: 26 November 2025 / Accepted: 26 November 2025 / Published: 27 November 2025

(This article belongs to the Collection Entomopathogenic and Nematophagous Fungi)

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Abstract

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are critical for fungal development, stress adaptation. and virulence. However, their dynamic and stress-specific regulatory networks in entomopathogenic fungi remain largely unresolved. This study systematically investigates the roles of all three key MAPKs—BbHog1, BbSlt2, and BbMpk1—in insect pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. A combination of detailed phenotypic profiling of deletion mutants (ΔBbHog1, ΔBbSlt2, and ΔBbMpk1) and time-course transcriptomics (RNA-seq at 0, 0.5, and 12 h) under osmotic, cell-wall, oxidative, and thermal stress conditions was employed, followed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). This approach delineated twelve stress-responsive gene modules regulated by those MAPKs that were highly associated with fungal stress adaptation, including membrane repair, redox balance, cell-wall remodeling, and core metabolism. Functional analyses showed that Hog1 orchestrates osmoadaptation through coordinated control of osmolyte metabolism, glycolytic flux, and cell-wall remodeling; Slt2 protects against thermal damage by sustaining membrane integrity, ergosterol homeostasis, and redox balance; and Mpk1 directs oxidative stress responses by tuning mitochondrial activity, metabolic suppression, and detoxification pathways. In summary, this work outlines a concise, systems-level framework of MAPK-mediated stress regulation in B. bassiana, providing mechanistic insight into fungal environmental resilience and identifying molecular targets for the engineering of robust biocontrol strains.

Keywords: entomopathogenic fungi; Beauveria bassiana; gene co-expression network; transcriptomics; fungal stress biology; ergosterol

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MDPI and ACS Style

Huang, S.; Fan, H.; Zhu, C.; Li, M.; Liu, L.; Bai, M.; Zhou, Y.; Zhang, Y. MAPK Pathways Coordinate Stress Adaptation by Mobilizing Specialized Gene Modules in Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana. J. Fungi 2025, 11, 839. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11120839

AMA Style

Huang S, Fan H, Zhu C, Li M, Liu L, Bai M, Zhou Y, Zhang Y. MAPK Pathways Coordinate Stress Adaptation by Mobilizing Specialized Gene Modules in Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana. Journal of Fungi. 2025; 11(12):839. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11120839

Chicago/Turabian Style

Huang, Shuaishuai, Hailing Fan, Chenhua Zhu, Meixian Li, Leilei Liu, Mengdi Bai, Yonghong Zhou, and Yongjun Zhang. 2025. "MAPK Pathways Coordinate Stress Adaptation by Mobilizing Specialized Gene Modules in Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana" Journal of Fungi 11, no. 12: 839. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11120839

APA Style

Huang, S., Fan, H., Zhu, C., Li, M., Liu, L., Bai, M., Zhou, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2025). MAPK Pathways Coordinate Stress Adaptation by Mobilizing Specialized Gene Modules in Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana. Journal of Fungi, 11(12), 839. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11120839

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MAPK Pathways Coordinate Stress Adaptation by Mobilizing Specialized Gene Modules in Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana

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