Insight into the transcriptional regulation of Msn2 required for conidiation, multi-stress responses and virulence of two entomopathogenic fungi

► Msn2 inactivation caused similar severe multi-phenotypic defections of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium robertsii. ► ΔBbmsn2 and ΔMrmsn2 had different numbers of genes differentially expressed under different stresses. ► Msn2 transcription regulation is vital for conidiation, virulence and multi-stress responses of both fungi.