Co-formulation of Beauveria bassiana with natural substances to control pollen beetles – Synergy between fungal spores and colza oil

Pollen beetles (Brassicogethes spp.) are a major pest in colza (Brassica napus L., also known as oilseed rape) and show increasing resistance to commonly used insecticides. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) such as Beauveria bassiana have potential as a sustainable alternative means of control. However, field applications of fungal spores targeting the immigrated beetles on the crop have not been efficient to date. To enhance the effectiveness of fungal spores in insect pest control, this study focused on co-formulations of B. bassiana blastospores with vegetable oil and stone dust, which have already shown effects against pollen beetles as single treatments in previous studies. To estimate synergistic effects of these combinations, we developed a novel statistical approach based on a generalized linear mixed effect model and a parametric bootstrapping method. The combination of B. bassiana and colza oil increased pollen beetle mortality much more than expected from the additive effect of single applications, indicating a strong synergistic effect. In contrast, the combination of B. bassiana and stone dust showed an antagonistic effect, i.e. mortality was lower than expected from the additive effect of single substances. Our study confirms the suitability of a combination of entomopathogenic fungi with vegetable oil and demonstrates that combinations may exhibit a higher level of pest control than expected from single substances.ISSN:1049-9644ISSN:1090-211

Co-formulation of Beauveria bassiana with natural substances to control pollen beetles – Synergy between fungal spores and colza oil

Pollen beetles (Brassicogethes spp.) are a major pest in colza (Brassica napus L., also known as oilseed rape) and show increasing resistance to commonly used insecticides. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) such as Beauveria bassiana have potential as a sustainable alternative means of control. However, field applications of fungal spores targeting the immigrated beetles on the crop have not been efficient to date. To enhance the effectiveness of fungal spores in insect pest control, this study focused on co-formulations of B. bassiana blastospores with vegetable oil and stone dust, which have already shown effects against pollen beetles as single treatments in previous studies. To estimate synergistic effects of these combinations, we developed a novel statistical approach based on a generalized linear mixed effect model and a parametric bootstrapping method. The combination of B. bassiana and colza oil increased pollen beetle mortality much more than expected from the additive effect of single applications, indicating a strong synergistic effect. In contrast, the combination of B. bassiana and stone dust showed an antagonistic effect, i.e. mortality was lower than expected from the additive effect of single substances.Our study confirms the suitability of a combination of entomopathogenic fungi with vegetable oil and demonstrates that combinations may exhibit a higher level of pest control than expected from single substances

PGC-1α promotes recovery after acute kidney injury during systemic inflammation in mice

Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and morbid condition that is distinguishable from typical ischemic renal injury by its paucity of tubular cell death. The mechanisms underlying renal dysfunction in individuals with sepsis-associated AKI are therefore less clear. Here we have shown that endotoxemia reduces oxygen delivery to the kidney, without changing tissue oxygen levels, suggesting reduced oxygen consumption by the kidney cells. Tubular mitochondria were swollen, and their function was impaired. Expression profiling showed that oxidative phosphorylation genes were selectively suppressed during sepsis-associated AKI and reactivated when global function was normalized. PPARγ coactivator–1α (PGC-1α), a major regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism, not only followed this pattern but was proportionally suppressed with the degree of renal impairment. Furthermore, tubular cells had reduced PGC-1α expression and oxygen consumption in response to TNF-α; however, excess PGC-1α reversed the latter effect. Both global and tubule-specific PGC-1α–knockout mice had normal basal renal function but suffered persistent injury following endotoxemia. Our results demonstrate what we believe to be a novel mechanism for sepsis-associated AKI and suggest that PGC-1α induction may be necessary for recovery from this disorder, identifying a potential new target for future therapeutic studies