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De Novo Analysis of Wolfiporia cocos Transcriptome to Reveal the Differentially Expressed Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes (CAZymes) Genes During the Early Stage of Sclerotial Growth

Summary

This research examined how a medicinal fungus called Wolfiporia cocos breaks down pine wood to form its medicinal structures called sclerotia. The scientists analyzed which genes were active during this process, particularly focusing on enzymes that degrade plant cell walls. Understanding these mechanisms could help improve the commercial cultivation of this important medicinal fungus. Impacts on everyday life: • Could lead to more efficient production of traditional Asian medicines derived from W. cocos • Helps preserve pine forest resources by optimizing how the fungus is grown commercially • Provides insights into sustainable cultivation methods for medicinal mushrooms • May enable development of new enzyme products for breaking down plant materials

Background

Wolfiporia cocos is a fungus that parasitizes pine tree roots and forms medicinal sclerotia (Fuling) used in traditional Asian medicine for centuries. The sclerotial formation depends on parasitism of Pinus species wood, but commercial production is limited by pine resource availability. Understanding the mechanisms of how W. cocos degrades and utilizes pine wood for sclerotial growth is important for improving cultivation.

Objective

To analyze the transcript profiles and identify differentially expressed genes, particularly CAZymes genes, between W. cocos mycelium and early stage (2-month-old) sclerotium using de novo sequencing technology. This aimed to better understand the molecular mechanisms of sclerotial formation and wood degradation.

Results

A total of 62,143 unigenes were assembled, with 43.54% longer than 1,000 bp. They identified 306 CAZyme genes, including 181 glycoside hydrolases (GHs), 88 glycosyltransferases (GTs), 28 carbohydrate esterases (CEs), and others. Sixty-nine CAZyme genes were significantly upregulated in early sclerotial growth compared to mycelium, with more than half belonging to the GH family. Key upregulated families included GH16, GH18, GH28, and GH5, which are involved in degrading plant cell wall components.

Conclusion

The study revealed numerous differentially expressed CAZyme genes during early sclerotial development, particularly those involved in plant cell wall degradation. This provides insights into how W. cocos breaks down pine wood components to support sclerotial growth. The findings lay a foundation for understanding sclerotial development mechanisms and the W. cocos-pine interaction system, which could help optimize the use of limited pine resources in commercial production.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Transcriptome Analysis,
  • Source: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00083
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