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The PoV Mycovirus Affects Extracellular Enzyme Expression and Fruiting Body Yield in the Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus

Summary

This research examined how a viral infection affects oyster mushroom growth and production. The study found that mushrooms infected with the PoV virus grew more slowly and produced fewer mushrooms due to reduced enzyme activity. This has important implications for commercial mushroom farming and enzyme production. Impacts on everyday life: • Could lead to better mushroom farming practices and higher yields • May help develop virus-free mushroom strains for improved production • Could improve industrial enzyme production from mushrooms • Helps understand how to protect food security in mushroom crops • May lead to more efficient and cost-effective mushroom cultivation

Background

Mycoviruses infect and replicate in all major fungal taxa, including both pathogenic and edible fungi. While many mycoviral infections are latent, some can cause severe morphological and physiological changes in fungal hosts. In the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus, mycoviral infections can cause symptoms such as irregular mycelial growth rate, decreased fruiting body yield, and malformed fruiting bodies, affecting cultivation.

Objective

To explore the biological functions of the PoV mycovirus and its effects on phenotypic aberrations, fungal growth, and fruiting bodies through comparison of isogenic virus-cured and virus-infected strains of P. ostreatus. The study aimed to analyze expression and activity levels of extracellular enzymes throughout PoV infection to investigate the relationship between mycovirus infection and phenotypic changes.

Results

The virus-infected strain showed reduced mycelial growth, irregular hyphal branching, and significantly lower fruiting body yield compared to virus-cured strains. The biological efficiency of the infected strain was reduced by ≥32%. Expression levels of genes encoding CAZymes and non-CAZymes were substantially down-regulated in the virus-infected strain. Phenol oxidase activity was notably decreased in the infected strain.

Conclusion

PoV infection affects growth and fruiting body formation in P. ostreatus by decreasing or suppressing the expression of CAZymes and non-CAZymes. The virus negatively impacts mushroom yield and biological efficiency through reduced extracellular enzyme activity. These findings have implications for commercial mushroom cultivation and industrial enzyme production.
  • Published in:Scientific Reports,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: 10.1038/s41598-020-58016-4
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