Omics-based approach in characterising mechanisms of entomopathogenic fungi pathogenicity: A case example of Beauveria bassiana

Abstract Biopesticides are gaining interests as an alternative to chemical-based pesticides for arthropod pest management. Among the widely-used biopesticides is the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana due to its efficacy and broad range of arthropod hosts. Although the general mechanisms of infection by B. bassiana are known, the underlying complexity of molecular mechanisms at each infection stage is largely not well-understood. Characterising the mechanisms of pathogenicity allows for a more effective pest control by synergising between multiple pesticides or biopesticides without overlapping modes of action and by characterising novel toxic molecules that can expand the biopesticide arsenal. Systems biology refers to a large scale, high-throughput analysis of biological molecules at the systemic level. It incorporates the ‘omics’ methods, allowing identification of genes (genomics), along with their RNA (transcriptomics), proteins (proteomics) and metabolites (metabolomics) expression levels. The high-throughput research approach accelerates the process of characterising pathogenicity. The use of omics is a powerful tool to drive the discovery of the complex process of B. bassiana infections. This review categorises infection processes into distinct steps, and presents the overview of the genes, proteins and metabolite expressions relevant for the B. bassiana pathogenicity.