METHOD FOR INCREASING THE MASSIVE PRODUCTION OF CONIDIA FROM THE ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGUS METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE.

摘要

The present invention refers to a method for obtaining Metarhizium anisopliae transformers, which are improved in their massive conidiation ability with a 3-23 times higher conidia production in plate or rice, in 5-8 days of incubation so as to be used as biological control agents of plague insects in agriculture, which are of important public health, by means of genetic engineering; the transformers are able to reduce or eliminate the messenger RNA of the CIE1 gene, which results in a higher yield in the production of conidia in a short incubation time, 5-8 days. These techniques allow any strain pertaining to the Metarhizium genus to be modified by means of genetic transformation in order to block the expression of the CIE1 genus. The transformation method involves the introduction of the antisense CIE1 genus of Metarhizium anisopliae, under the control of the suitable elements for regulating the expression, in one or more integrated copies in a stable manner in its genome. The amou nt of produced conidia is higher in the transformations compared to that of the wild strain used as genetic information receptor.