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New Perspectives on Insect-Associated Fungi
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New Perspectives on Insect-Associated Fungi

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 3150

Editors

Dr. Renan do Nascimento Barbosa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Micologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
Interests: Ascomycota; Eurotiales; fungal taxonomy; insect–fungal associations; polyphasic taxonomy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Carla da Silva Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Micologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
Interests: Ascomycota; molecular biology; fungal taxonomy; insect–fungal associations; phylogeny; polyphasic taxonomy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit your work for consideration for the JoF Special Issue "New Perspectives on Insect-Associated Fungi". This Special Issue will focus on the occurrence of interactions between insects and fungi, a field of increasing importance in ecological understanding and biotechnological applications.

We welcome experimental and review articles that present robust data and reflect advances in the state of the art. Manuscripts can address various aspects of the biology and ecology of insect-associated fungi and their possible applications in areas such as pest control and the discovery of new natural products. We are particularly interested in studies that explore the mechanisms and evolutionary aspects of associations between insects and fungi, including pathogenic and mutualistic relationships.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and working together to advance the state of the art in this promising area.

Dr. Renan do Nascimento Barbosa
Dr. Ana Carla da Silva Santos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biological control
  • entomopathogenic fungi
  • insect–fungus associations
  • mutualistic fungi of insects

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 25016 KB  
Article
Multi-Omics Analysis of Bombyx batryticatus Formation Reveals Strain-Dependent Host Molecular Responses and Biomass Variation
by Qingqing Liu, Na Liu, Jia Fu, Yongting Bi, Yunqi Xie, Zhumei Jiang, Bin Chen, Shenghua Ying, Zhenghong Zhao and Yuejin Peng
J. Fungi 2026, 12(6), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12060398 - 30 May 2026
Viewed by 382
Abstract
Bombyx batryticatus is a traditional Chinese medicinal material derived from Bombyx mori infected by Beauveria bassiana; however, its formation mechanism remains poorly understood. This study compared infection processes in silkworms by two B. bassiana strains with markedly different virulence (highly virulent ZY027 [...] Read more.
Bombyx batryticatus is a traditional Chinese medicinal material derived from Bombyx mori infected by Beauveria bassiana; however, its formation mechanism remains poorly understood. This study compared infection processes in silkworms by two B. bassiana strains with markedly different virulence (highly virulent ZY027 and ARSEF2860). Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were employed to uncover, for the first time, the molecular basis of B. batryticatus formation at the systems biology level. The results demonstrated significant weight variations in B. batryticatus derived from different fungal strains. ZY027-induced stiff silkworms exhibited higher wet and dry weights than those infected by ARSEF2860. Large-scale gene reprogramming occurred in silkworm hemolymph post-infection, involving marked activation of Toll/Imd immune signaling pathways, ribosome biogenesis, and endoplasmic reticulum stress responses. A notable “uncoupling” between transcriptomic and proteomic profiles was identified, highlighting the critical role of post-translational regulation in host responses. The two strains triggered distinct metabolic reprogramming patterns: ZY027 notably suppressed oxidative phosphorylation and activated detoxification mechanisms, whereas ARSEF2860 presented characteristics of “immune–metabolic optimization.” These findings suggest that B. batryticatus formation involves complex fungus–silkworm molecular interactions in hemolymph, and that fungal strain characteristics are associated with significant differences in host molecular responses and product biomass. The study provides a theoretical foundation and innovative guidance for selecting strains with high B. batryticatus production potential and developing novel entomopathogenic fungal resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Insect-Associated Fungi)
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20 pages, 4054 KB  
Article
Genomic Insights into the Molecular Basis of Broad Host Adaptability of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Conidiobolus coronatus (Entomophthoromycotina)
by Fan Bai, Tian Yang, Lvhao Zhang, Jiaqi Yang, Xinyu Chen and Xiang Zhou
J. Fungi 2025, 11(8), 600; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11080600 - 19 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1960
Abstract
Conidiobolus coronatus (Entomophthorales), a fungal pathogen with a broad insect host range, is a promising candidate for biocontrol applications. We sequenced a C. coronatus strain isolated from a Rhopalomyia sp. cadaver using PacBio long-read sequencing to elucidate the molecular basis of its wide [...] Read more.
Conidiobolus coronatus (Entomophthorales), a fungal pathogen with a broad insect host range, is a promising candidate for biocontrol applications. We sequenced a C. coronatus strain isolated from a Rhopalomyia sp. cadaver using PacBio long-read sequencing to elucidate the molecular basis of its wide host adaptability. The newly assembled 44.21 Mb genome exhibits high completeness (BUSCO score: 93.45%) and encodes 11,128 protein-coding genes, with 23.1% predicted to mediate pathogen–host interactions. Comparative genomics with the aphid-obligate pathogen C. obscurus revealed significant expansions in gene families associated with host adaptation mechanisms, including host recognition, transcriptional regulation, degradation of host components, detoxification, and immune evasion. Functional annotation highlighted enrichment in cellular component organization and energy metabolism. Pfam annotation identified one hundred twenty-five seven-transmembrane receptors (putative GPCRs), sixty-seven fungus-specific transcription factors, three hundred sixty-one peptidases (one hundred ninety-eight serine proteases and one hundred three metalloproteases), one hundred twenty-seven cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), thirty-five cysteine-rich secretory proteins, and fifty-five tyrosinases. Additionally, four hundred thirty carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) across six major modules were characterized. Untargeted metabolomics detected 22 highly expressed terpenoids, consistent with terpenoid biosynthesis gene clusters in the genome. Collectively, these expansions underpin the broad host range of C. coronatus by enabling cross-host signal decoding and gene expression reprogramming, breaching diverse host physicochemical barriers, and expanding its chemical ecological niche. This study provides genomic insights into broad host adaptability in entomopathogenic fungi, facilitating further understanding of pathogen–host interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Insect-Associated Fungi)
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