Effect of Conidiobolus coronatus on the Cuticular and Internal Lipid Composition of Tettigonia viridissima Males

Abstract

Conidiobolus coronatus is an entomopathogenic fungus which has a potential as a biological control agent of insects. The cuticular and internal lipid composition of infected and noninfected Tettigonia viridissima males were analyzed by GC/MS. A total of 49 compounds were identified in the infected and noninfected males, including fatty acids, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), n-alkanes, alcohols, sterols, and other organic compounds. The most abundant components of the cuticular and internal lipids of the insects were fatty acids. After exposure to C. coronatus, the cuticular lipids of the T. viridissima males contained 17 free fatty acids from C(8) to C(22), while the cuticular lipids of the noninfected insects contained only 15 fatty acids from C(12) to C(24). The cuticular and internal lipids of both the infected and the noninfected males also contained five FAMEs from C(15) to C(19), seven n-alkanes from C(25) to C(34), five alcohols from C(16) to C(25), five sterols, and the following six other organic compounds: azelaic acid, phenylacetic acid, glutaric acid, benzoic acid, sebacic acid, and glycerol. The compounds which were present only in the cuticular lipids of the infected males could be due to fungal infection.

The Impact of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Conidiobolus coronatus on the Free Fatty Acid Profile of the Flesh Fly Sarcophaga argyrostoma

“…Of these, S. argyrostoma mostly displayed accumulation of cholesterol after C. coronatus exposure. Similar increases in cholesterol concentration have also been observed in the fungussensitive pine weevil H. abietis after B. bassiana infection [79]; however, cholesterol content was found to decrease in fungus-sensitive male Tettigonia viridissima (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) after C. coronatus treatment [94].…”

The impact of insecticides containing deltamethrin and cyfluthrin on the composition of surface compounds in the larvae, females and males of Tenebrio molitor

“…In our studies, the stage of development, the active substances contained in insecticides and the time which has elapsed since the application of insecticides all have an impact on the composition of the surface compounds of T. molitor . The analyzed samples mainly showed carboxylic acids (Gołębiowski, Cerkowniak, Ostachowska, Boguś, & Stepnowski, 2016), acylglycerols (Buckner et al, 1996), sterols (Gołębiowski, Cerkowniak, Ostachowska, Naczk, et al, 2016), alcohols (Arrase & Soulages, 2010), alkanes (Gołębiowski, Dawgul, et al, 2012) and esters (Gołębiowski et al, 2013). The presence of these compounds was also found in T. molitor fatty tissue, depending on the stage of development of the insect, the insecticide used and the time elapsed from its use (Wojciechowska et al, 2019a).…”

Comparative Analysis of Epicuticular Lipids in Locusta migratoria and Calliptamus italicus: A Possible Role in Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungi

“…Those authors hypothesized that polar compounds (free and esterified fatty acids, glucose, and amino acids) stimulate fungal germination before fungi can take up nonpolar components. Hydrocarbon composition and fatty acid composition of the insect cuticle and of internal tissues significantly change during the development of a fungal infection; however, these effects are not straightforward and depend on insect and pathogen species [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. Probably, the alterations are caused not only by the direct utilization of lipids by fungi but also by changes in host metabolic pathways during fungal infections.…”