(2nd Place) In planta gene expression by the fungal endophyte Beauveria bassiana in Glycine max

Entomopathogenic fungal endophytes form mutualistic relationships with their plant hosts in part by secreting compounds toxic to phloem-feeding and herbivorous insects. Beauveria bassiana is probably the best studied endophytic fungus from which several compounds have been characterized. Our goal was to measure gene expression related to two such compounds, beauvericin and bassianolide, from B. bassiana growing within Glycine max (soybean). Bassianolide and beauvericin are entomopathogens, associated with insect mortality. In this study, we isolated B. bassiana from field-collected, dead spotted lanternfly (an invasive insect in the US) to test its endophytic activity in soybean. Leaf tissues of treated plants were collected 17, 24, and 31 days after inoculation to estimate differential gene expression by B. bassiana. We used RT-qPCR to measure transcript levels for these compounds within treated plants. Beauveria bassiana has been applied as a commercial microbial insecticide in row crops. This study will inform us of the timing of toxin production by B. bassiana and the complexity of plant-endophyte symbiosis.