Transcription Factor MaHMG, the High-Mobility Group Protein, Is Implicated in Conidiation Pattern Shift and Stress Tolerance in Metarhizium acridum

Conidiation and stress tolerance are pivotal traits in entomopathogenic fungi, critically influencing their production costs and environmental tolerance. While the transcription factor high-mobility group protein (HMG), characterized by a conserved HMG-box domain, has been extensively studied for its role in sexual development, its functions in entomopathogenic fungi remain largely unexplored. This study employed gene knockout to investigate the role of MaHMG in <i>Metarhizium acridum</i>. The deletion of <i>MaHMG</i> delayed conidiation initiation and caused a highly significant 58% reduction in conidial yield versus that of the wild type (WT) after 15 days. Furthermore, the conidiation pattern on microcycle induction medium (SYA) shifted from microcycle to normal conidiation. The Δ<i>MaHMG</i> mutant exhibited decreased conidial germination rates and markedly reduced tolerance following UV-B irradiation and heat-shock treatments, alongside increased sensitivity to the cell wall perturbant calcofluor white (CFW). RNA-seq analysis during this conidiation shift identified 88 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with functional annotation implicating their predominant association with hyphal development, cell wall biogenesis, cell cycle progression, and conidiation. In conclusion, MaHMG functions as a critical positive regulator governing both conidiation and stress tolerance in <i>M. acridum</i>, underscoring its fundamental role in fungal biology and potential as a target for enhancing biocontrol agent performance.