resistant transformants in the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae

Three different methods, (i) PEG, (ii) electroporation and (iii) biolistic, were employed to transform Metarhizium anisopliue using benomyl resistance as a selectable marker. Transformation frequencies and mitotic stability varied for each method, from 0.8 to 6.9 transformants pg-’ of DNA and 46%, respectively, by the PEG method; 1.3 to 1.8 transformants pgLg-l of DNA and 67% by electroporation; and 32 to 201 transformants pg -’ of DNA and 90% by biolistic. We demonstrate by PCR that 60% of the transformants were generated by gene conversion.