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Wang X, Li X, Qiu W, Sa F, Feng Y, Ge Y, Yang S, Liu Y, Xie J, Zhang W, Li W, Cheng X. Effects of mating-type ratio imbalance on the degeneration of Cordyceps militaris subculture and preventative measures. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17648. [PMID: 39006009 PMCID: PMC11243967 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The rapid degeneration of Cordyceps militaris strains during subculture represents a bottleneck problem that affects production stability. This study explored the mechanism underlying this degeneration in three production and three wild-type strains of Cordyceps militaris, isolating single-conidium strains from each. The effects of subculturing on fructification in both original and single mating-type strains were compared. Changes in the ratio of the two mating types were analyzed in both original and degenerated strains. Based on these findings, the two mating strains were paired in different ratios to determine their effects on fruiting. The resulting five strains were heterokaryotic strains with both MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 mating-type genes. Strain jb-2 was a single mating type (MAT1-1) mutant strain that produced stable fruiting bodies but failed to produce ascospores. It was found that the loss of or imbalance in mating types was the main reason for the rapid degeneration of fruiting traits during subculture and that this occurred randomly in the MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 types. The strains differed significantly in their stability during subculture. Fruiting was stable in the single mating-type Jb-2 strain, and the eleventh-generation fruited normally. There were differences in yield between the production and wild strains after inoculation with spawn containing different proportions of mating types. The production strain was more stable when inoculated with strains with mating-type ratios of 1:9 to 9:1 without affecting the yield. However, the yield of the wild-type strain xf-1 was positively correlated with the proportion of the MAT1-2 type, while the other two strains showed no correlations. Subculturing single mating-type mycelia separately and mixing them before production effectively mitigated degeneration during subculture. For Cordyceps militaris breeding, selecting strains containing both mating types, which are insensitive to the proportion of mating-type genes, enhanced stability in subculture and reduced the risk of mating-type loss. Direct breeding of specific single-mating type strains to induce fruiting is thus an effective breeding strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China
- Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiu'E Li
- School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Wenxu Qiu
- School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Fangping Sa
- School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Yetong Feng
- School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Yupeng Ge
- School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Shude Yang
- School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Yu Liu
- School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Jinzhong Xie
- Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Weihuan Li
- School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Xianhao Cheng
- School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China
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Vu TX, Tran TB, Vu HH, Le YTH, Nguyen PH, Do TT, Nguyen TH, Tran VT. Ethanolic extract from fruiting bodies of Cordyceps militaris HL8 exhibits cytotoxic activities against cancer cells, skin pathogenic yeasts, and postharvest pathogen Penicillium digitatum. Arch Microbiol 2024; 206:97. [PMID: 38349544 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-024-03833-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Cordyceps militaris is a well-known medicinal mushroom in Asian countries. This edible fungus has been widely exploited for traditional medicine and functional food production. C. militaris is a heterothallic fungus that requires both the mating-type loci, MAT1-1 and MAT1-2, for fruiting body formation. However, recent studies also indicated two groups of C. militaris, including monokaryotic strains carrying only MAT1-1 in their genomes and heterokaryotic strains harboring both MAT1-1 and MAT1-2. These strain groups are able to produce fruiting bodies under suitable cultivating conditions. In previous work, we showed that monokaryotic strains are more stable than heterokaryotic strains in fruiting body formation through successive culturing generations. In this study, we report a high cordycepin-producing monokaryotic C. militaris strain (HL8) collected in Vietnam. This strain could form normal fruiting bodies with high biological efficiency and contain a cordycepin content of 14.43 mg/g lyophilized fruiting body biomass. The ethanol extraction of the HL8 fruiting bodies resulted in a crude extract with a cordycepin content of 69.15 mg/g. Assays of cytotoxic activity on six human cancer cell lines showed that the extract inhibited the growth of all these cell lines with the IC50 values of 6.41-11.51 µg/mL. Notably, the extract significantly reduced cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis of breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the extract also exhibited strong antifungal activity against Malassezia skin yeasts and the citrus postharvest pathogen Penicillium digitatum. Our work provides a promising monokaryotic C. militaris strain as a bioresource for medicine, cosmetics, and fruit preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Xuan Vu
- Center for Experimental Biology, National Center for Technological Progress, Ministry of Science and Technology, C6 Thanh Xuan Bac, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
| | - Tram Bao Tran
- Center for Experimental Biology, National Center for Technological Progress, Ministry of Science and Technology, C6 Thanh Xuan Bac, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Hong-Ha Vu
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Yen Thi Hoang Le
- Center for Experimental Biology, National Center for Technological Progress, Ministry of Science and Technology, C6 Thanh Xuan Bac, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Phu Hung Nguyen
- Center of Interdisciplinary Science and Education, Thai Nguyen University, Thai Nguyen, Viet Nam
| | - Thao Thi Do
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Thu-Huong Nguyen
- Faculty of Basic Medicine, Hanoi University of Public Health, 1A Duc Thang, North Tu Liem, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Van-Tuan Tran
- National Key Laboratory of Enzyme and Protein Technology, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU), 334 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
- Faculty of Biology, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU), 334 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
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