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Mushrooms Do Produce Flavonoids: Metabolite Profiling and Transcriptome Analysis of Flavonoid Synthesis in the Medicinal Mushroom Sanghuangporus baumii

Summary

Researchers discovered that the medicinal mushroom Sanghuangporus baumii produces 81 different flavonoids, compounds known for their health benefits including antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Using advanced genetic and chemical analysis, they identified the genes and processes responsible for this flavonoid production in mushrooms, which differs from how plants make these compounds. By increasing the activity of a key gene called PAL, they were able to boost flavonoid production in the mushroom. This discovery opens new possibilities for using mushrooms as biological factories to produce flavonoids for medical and nutritional applications.

Background

Flavonoids are secondary metabolites with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties found in plants. Whether mushrooms can synthesize flavonoids has been debated, with previous studies suggesting they lack key biosynthetic genes. This study investigates flavonoid production in the medicinal mushroom Sanghuangporus baumii.

Objective

To determine whether S. baumii can synthesize flavonoids and elucidate the biosynthetic pathway using metabolomics and transcriptomics. To identify and characterize genes involved in flavonoid synthesis and validate the function of key regulatory genes.

Results

S. baumii synthesized 81 flavonoids including flavones, flavonols, flavanols, and isoflavones. Only four genes related to flavonoid synthesis were identified in S. baumii (PAL, 4CL, CHI, IFR), though multiple flavonoid classes were produced. Aeration promoted flavonoid accumulation and PAL expression. Overexpression of SbPAL increased total flavonoid content 1.39-fold and PAL enzyme activity 1.49-fold.

Conclusion

S. baumii demonstrates the ability to synthesize flavonoids through a pathway different from plants, with missing genes potentially compensated by distantly-related genes from the same superfamilies. PAL is a key regulatory gene for flavonoid biosynthesis in this mushroom. These findings suggest S. baumii and other mushrooms could serve as microbial cell factories for flavonoid production.
  • Published in:Journal of Fungi,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: PMC9225156; PMID: 35736065; DOI: 10.3390/jof8060582
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