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Insights into microbiome-triterpenoid correlation in Poria cocos via comparative analysis of sclerotial and soil microenvironments

Summary

This study explores how the medicinal mushroom Poria cocos creates its own special microbial environment inside its sclerotium (the part used in medicine). Researchers found that the mushroom selectively enriches certain bacteria and fungi while maintaining lower overall microbial diversity compared to surrounding soil. The study reveals that specific microbes like Burkholderia and Scytalidium are positively associated with the production of pachymic acid, the mushroom’s key medicinal compound with anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties.

Background

Poria cocos is a medicinal fungus renowned for its bioactive triterpenoids, particularly pachymic acid, which has antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and immunoregulatory properties. While genomic and metabolomic studies have elucidated triterpenoid biosynthetic pathways, the relationship between P. cocos specialized microbiota and pachymic acid accumulation remains poorly understood.

Objective

To systematically compare microbial communities and pachymic acid distribution patterns between P. cocos sclerotia and surrounding soil microenvironments using integrated 16S rRNA/ITS1 sequencing and HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis to understand microbiome-metabolite correlations.

Results

P. cocos displayed significantly lower microbial diversity than surrounding soil, with dominance of Proteobacteria and Ascomycota, and specific enrichments of Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia and Scytalidium. Pachymic acid accumulated predominantly within sclerotia with trace amounts in adjacent soil and none in control soil. Significant positive correlations were identified between pachymic acid and enriched bacterial/fungal taxa.

Conclusion

P. cocos establishes a specialized microecosystem characterized by selective enrichment of specific microbial taxa, particularly Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia and Scytalidium, which correlate with pachymic acid accumulation. These findings suggest host secondary metabolites regulate microbial community selection and provide insights for optimizing cultivation strategies to enhance medicinal quality.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Comparative Analysis,
  • Source: 41040874
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