The protoplast two-way fusions and fusant characteristics of Antrodia cinnamomea and Cordyceps militaris

GC-MS Analysis of Polysaccharides from an Intergeneric Hybrid of Pleurotus florida and Cordyceps militaris: A Comparative Study

Edible and medicinal mushrooms are valuable sources of polysaccharides, known for their dual roles as immunostimulants and immunosuppressants. This study aimed to enhance polysaccharide content by fusing two mushroom species, P. florida and C. militaris, while exploring their antioxidant and antibacterial potential. These mushrooms have diverse health benefits, including lowering high cholesterol, providing anti-inflammatory effects, supporting diabetes management, aiding in cancer treatment, and enhancing the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Successful hyphal fusion was achieved, and optimal culture conditions were determined using response surface methodology. The hybrids exhibited superior growth compared to the parental strains. Hyphal fusion improved several attributes, resulting in diverse hybrids with increased biomass and metabolite production. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of exopolysaccharides, with concentrations measured at 28.4 g/L (P1), 31.50 g/L (CD), and 36.74 g/L (F3). GC-MS analysis identified various bioactive metabolites, including a higher concentration of dimethyl palmitamine in the hybrid, a novel compound, butanenitrile, 2-(methoxymethoxy), which was not found in the parental strains. These compounds are likely responsible for the enhanced antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.

Ganoderma Fusions with High Yield of Ergothioneine and Comparative Analysis of Its Genomics

Ergothioneine (EGT), an exceptional antioxidant found ubiquitously across diverse living organisms, plays a pivotal role in various vital physiological regulatory functions. Its principal natural sources are mushrooms and animal liver tissues. Ganoderma spp., a traditional Chinese food and medicinal mushroom, boasts high concentrations of EGT. To advance the development of novel Ganoderma spp. strains with enhanced EGT yields, we employed an efficient Ganoderma spp. protoplasmic fusion system. Through molecular and biological characterization, we successfully generated seven novel fusion strains. Notably, fusion strain RS7 demonstrated a remarkable increase in mycelial EGT production (12.70 ± 1.85 mg/L), surpassing the parental strains FQ16 and FQ23 by 34.23% and 39.10%, respectively. Furthermore, in the context of the fruiting body, fusion strain RS11 displayed a notable 53.58% enhancement in EGT production (11.24 ± 1.96 mg/L) compared to its parental strains. Genomic analysis of the RS7, the strain with the highest levels of mycelial EGT production, revealed mutations in the gene EVM0005141 associated with EGT metabolism. These mutations led to a reduction in non-productive shunts, subsequently redirecting more substrate towards the EGT synthesis pathway. This redirection significantly boosted EGT production in the RS7 strain. The insights gained from this study provide valuable guidance for the commercial-scale production of EGT and the selective breeding of Ganoderma spp. strains.

Comparative Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal the Regulatory Mechanism of Nutrient Limitation-Induced Sporulation of Antrodia cinnamomea in Submerged Fermentation

Antrodia cinnamomea is a precious edible and medicinal mushroom with various biological activities, such as hepatoprotection, antitumor, antivirus, immunoregulation, and intestinal flora regulation. However, the wild fruiting bodies of A. cinnamomea are scarce and expensive. Submerged fermentation based on spore inoculation has become the most efficient and popular artificial culture method for A. cinnamomea. In order to complement the mechanism of asexual sporulation of A. cinnamomea in submerged fermentation, and provide a theoretical basis to further improve the sporulation, comparative transcriptomics analysis using RNA-seq and RT-qPCR were conducted on A. cinnamomea mycelia cultured under different nutritional conditions to reveal the regulatory mechanism underlying the asexual sporulation induced by nutrient limitation. The obtained mechanism is as follows: under nitrogen starvation, the corresponding sensors transmit signals to genes, such as areA and tmpA, and promote their expression. Among these genes, AreA has a direct or indirect effect on flbD and promotes its expression, further enhancing the expression of brlA. Meanwhile, TmpA has a direct or indirect effect on brlA and promotes its expression; under carbon starvation, transport protein Rco-3, as a glucose sensor, directly or indirectly transmits signals to brlA and promotes its expression. BrlA promotes the expression of abaA gene, which further enhances the expression of wetA gene, and wetA then directly leads to asexual sporulation and promotes spore maturation; meanwhile, gulC can also promote cell autolysis, which provides energy and raw materials for sporulation.