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Open access Aug 2026

Multi-omics reveals an extracellular vesicles-mediated susceptibility: Conferring carbenicillin resistance while compromising copper tolerance in Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) serve as pivotal mediators of bacterial intercellular communication, facilitating survival under diverse environmental hostilities. However, the regulatory landscape of EVs under the complex interplay of antibiotic and heavy metal co-stress remains an enigma. Here, we integrated multi-omics analyses to decipher the impact of EVs derived from a multidrug-resistant Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain (VP38) on a susceptible strain (VP35) under separated or combined stress of carbenicillin (CARB) and copper (Cu). Unexpectedly, the EV-mediated effects were stress-type specific: they promoted survival under CARB stress but markedly reduced viability under Cu exposure. Mechanistically, transcriptomic analysis showed that EVs uptake was associated with transcriptional reprogramming in the recipient strain, including downregulation of copper efflux genes (e.g., cusB/R) and iron acquisition genes (e.g., TonB-dependent receptors). This expression pattern suggests a possible disturbance in intracellular ion homeostasis and may contribute to increased susceptibility to heavy metal stress. These findings support a context-dependent defense-burden model of EV-mediated stress adaptation under combined antibiotic and metal stress. This study not only advances our understanding of bacterial social behaviors but also highlights EV-induced metabolic interference as a potential therapeutic strategy against resistant pathogens in aquaculture.

Yan Yuan, Hongmin Zhang, Pengju Zhao et al. · 0 citations
Jul 2026

Dual regulatory roles of the zinc cluster transcription factor MrFTRP1 in development, stress tolerance, and virulence of Metarhizium robertsii.

It is demonstrated that MrFTRP1 exerts a dual-regulatory functioning as a positive regulator of conidiation and pathogenesis but a negative regulator of environmental stress tolerance, which expands the understanding of the regulatory diversity within the C6 TF family and identifies him as a promising target for the genetic improvement of mycoinsecticides.

Chentian Jiang, Hao Wu, You-Gui Tong et al. · 0 citations
Open access Aug 2026

VdOMO contributes to development, stress adaptation, siderophore-associated iron acquisition, and early host colonization in Verticillium dahliae

Findings underscore a significant role for VdOMO in siderophore-associated iron acquisition, fungal development, stress adaptation, and the early stages of host colonization in V. dahliae.

Yusha Du, Lixinyu Sun, Kangwei Xie et al. · 0 citations
Aug 2026

TCA cycle-related lactate and malate dehydrogenases differentially modulate fungal development, immune evasion and pathogenicity in the entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana.

The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle plays a pivotal role in fungal physiological processes. In this study, two TCA-cycle related enzyme were functionally analyzed in a model entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, including NAD-dependent lactate dehydrogenase (BbLdh) and malate dehydrogenase (BbMdh1 and 2). Domain annotation indicated all these enzymes contained an Ldh_1 domain. Functional analyses indicated that BbLdh and BbMdh2 had differential contributions to fungal growth, development, stress tolerance, virulence, and mycosis. Notably, BbLdh played a more important role in fungal interaction with the host than BbMdh2, which was attributed to its additional functions in stress tolerance, extracellular acidification, in vivo development, and immune evasion. In contrast, BbMdh2 primarily was involved in cuticle penetration due to its roles in utilization of host nutrients (e.g., lipids and proteins). Comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed that BbLdh mediated numerous metabolic pathways and physiological responses to oxidative stress. Collectively, this study reveals the metabolic mechanisms involved in the B. bassiana adaptation to the host niches, deepening our understanding of metabolic pathways during fungal interaction with the hosts.

Hao Zhang, Xin-Yi Wang, Xue-Ting Wang et al. · 0 citations
Open access Jul 2026

A Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor VdRgt1 affects microsclerotia development, virulence, and glucose utilization in the smoke tree wilt fungus Verticillium dahliae

Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne vascular pathogen with a broad host range and the ability to survive in soil for extended periods through the formation of stress-resistant microsclerotia. It poses a major challenge to disease management and frequently causes severe Verticillium wilt in smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria) in China. Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factors (TFs) represent a major class of fungal regulators and are involved in various biological processes, including primary and secondary metabolism, stress adaptation, and pathogenesis. In this study, we found that the deletion of VdRgt1, which belongs to Zn(II)2Cys6 TF, led to abnormal hyphal morphology, reduced vegetative growth, markedly decreased conidial production, and altered timing of microsclerotia development and melanin accumulation. Additionally, the ΔVdRgt1 mutant exhibited significantly reduced virulence and impaired colonization of C. coggygria. Transcriptome analysis indicated that VdRgt1 is involved in the regulation of carbohydrate and energy metabolism. Consistently, the ΔVdRgt1 mutant exhibited reduced ATP levels, and RT-qPCR supported a role for VdRgt1 in glucose-responsive gene regulation. Collectively, these results indicate that VdRgt1 is an important regulator in V. dahliae, coordinating hyphal development, the timing of microsclerotia development and melanin accumulation, carbon and energy metabolism, stress adaptation, and virulence.

Yichen Hu, Wenwen Li, Jiayin Zhang et al. · 0 citations
Open access Aug 2026

A putative rRNA methyltransferase Mrm1 regulates mitochondrial dynamics and pathogenicity in Magnaporthe oryzae

The findings deepen the understanding of epitranscriptomic regulation in fungal pathogenicity and represent a potential candidate for future target-based intervention strategies, pending validation through chemical or genetic approaches.

Minghe Shen, Xiaowen Xu, Shikun Xiang et al. · 0 citations