title: Functional convergence and divergence of mating-type genes fulfilling in Cordyceps militaris.
abstract: Fungal sexual lives are considerably diversified in terms of the types of mating systems and mating-control gene functions. Sexual fruiting bodies of the ascomycete fungus Cordyceps militaris have been widely consumed as edible and medicinal mushrooms, whereas the regulation of fruiting-body development and sex in this fungus remain elusive. Herein, we performed the comprehensive functional analyses of mating-type (MAT) genes in C. militaris. Interspecies functional convergence was evident that MAT1-1 and MAT1-2-1 null mutants were sterile and lost the ability to produce stromata in outcrosses with the opposite mating-type partner. In contrast to other fungal species, functional divergence of MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-1-2 was also observed that ΔMAT1-1-1 produced barren stromata in outcrosses, whereas ΔMAT1-1-2 generated fruiting bodies morphologically similar to that of the parental strain but with sterile perithecia. The homothallic-like transformants MAT1-2::MAT1-1-1 (haploidic MAT1-2 isolate transformed with the MAT1-1-1 gene) produced sterile stromata, whereas the MAT1-1::MAT1-2-1 (haploidic MAT1-1 isolate transformed with the MAT1-2-1 gene) mutant was determined to be completely fruitless. The findings relating to the fully fertile gene-complementation mutants suggest that the genomic location is not essential for the MAT genes to fulfill their functions in C. militaris. Comparison of the production of bioactive constituents cordycepin and adenosine provides experimental support that the fungal sexual cycle is an energy consuming process. The results of the present study enrich our knowledge of both convergent and divergent controls of fungal sex.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Yuzhen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Yongliang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Feifei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Caihong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China. Electronic address: cswang@sibs.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Chengshu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000241:Adenosine / Q000096:biosynthesis; D032661:Cordyceps / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D003839:Deoxyadenosines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D048690:Fruiting Bodies, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D009154:Mutation; D043563:Receptors, Pheromone / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D003839:Deoxyadenosines; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D043563:Receptors, Pheromone; C058120:cordycepin; D000241:Adenosine
keywords: Cordyceps militaris; Fertility; Fruiting body development; Mating-type idiomorph; Pheromone receptor