title: Genome sequence of the insect pathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris, a valued traditional Chinese medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Species in the ascomycete fungal genus Cordyceps have been proposed to be the teleomorphs of Metarhizium species. The latter have been widely used as insect biocontrol agents. Cordyceps species are highly prized for use in traditional Chinese medicines, but the genes responsible for biosynthesis of bioactive components, insect pathogenicity and the control of sexuality and fruiting have not been determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here, we report the genome sequence of the type species Cordyceps militaris. Phylogenomic analysis suggests that different species in the Cordyceps/Metarhizium genera have evolved into insect pathogens independently of each other, and that their similar large secretomes and gene family expansions are due to convergent evolution. However, relative to other fungi, including Metarhizium spp., many protein families are reduced in C. militaris, which suggests a more restricted ecology. Consistent with its long track record of safe usage as a medicine, the Cordyceps genome does not contain genes for known human mycotoxins. We establish that C. militaris is sexually heterothallic but, very unusually, fruiting can occur without an opposite mating-type partner. Transcriptional profiling indicates that fruiting involves induction of the Zn2Cys6-type transcription factors and MAPK pathway; unlike other fungi, however, the PKA pathway is not activated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data offer a better understanding of Cordyceps biology and will facilitate the exploitation of medicinal compounds produced by the fungus.
authors: Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
authors: Peng
authors: P
authors: Zheng
authors: Yongliang
authors: Y
authors: Xia
authors: Guohua
authors: G
authors: Xiao
authors: Chenghui
authors: C
authors: Xiong
authors: Xiao
authors: X
authors: Hu
authors: Siwei
authors: S
authors: Zhang
authors: Huajun
authors: H
authors: Zheng
authors: Yin
authors: Y
authors: Huang
authors: Yan
authors: Y
authors: Zhou
authors: Shengyue
authors: S
authors: Wang
authors: Guo-Ping
authors: GP
authors: Zhao
authors: Xingzhong
authors: X
authors: Liu
authors: Raymond J
authors: RJ
authors: St Leger
authors: Chengshu
authors: C
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D032661:Cordyceps / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure; D048690:Fruiting Bodies, Fungal / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D007313:Insecta / Q000382:microbiology; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000235:genetics; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D052981:Metarhizium / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors