Antifungal Effect of Copper Nanoparticles against <i>Fusarium kuroshium</i>, an Obligate Symbiont of <i>Euwallacea kuroshio</i> Ambrosia Beetle

di: Enrique Ibarra-Laclette, Jazmín Blaz, Claudia-Anahí Pérez-Torres, Emanuel Villafán, Araceli Lamelas, Greta Rosas-Saito, Luis Arturo Ibarra-Juárez, Clemente de Jesús García-Ávila, Arturo Isaías Martínez-Enriquez, Nicolaza Pariona

Natura: Article
Pubblicazione: MDPI AG 2022-03-01

Descrizione

Copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) have shown great antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi, making them a promising and affordable alternative to conventional fungicides. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal activity of Cu-NPs against <i>Fusarium kuroshium</i>, the causal agent of <i>Fusarium</i> dieback, and this might be the first study to do so. The Cu-NPs (at different concentrations) inhibited more than 80% of <i>F. kuroshium</i> growth and were even more efficient than a commercial fungicide used as a positive control (cupric hydroxide). Electron microscopy studies revealed dramatic damage caused by Cu-NPs, mainly in the hyphae surface and in the characteristic form of macroconidia. This damage was visible only 3 days post inoculation with used treatments. At a molecular level, the RNA-seq study suggested that this growth inhibition and colony morphology changes are a result of a reduced ergosterol biosynthesis caused by free cytosolic copper ions. Furthermore, transcriptional responses also revealed that the low- and high-affinity copper transporter modulation and the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) are only a few of the distinct detoxification mechanisms that, in its conjunction, <i>F. kuroshium</i> uses to counteract the toxicity caused by the reduced copper ion.