High-throughput sequencing-based analysis of endogenetic fungal communities inhabiting the Chinese Cordyceps reveals unexpectedly high fungal diversity.
Chinese Cordyceps, known in Chinese as "DongChong XiaCao", is a parasitic complex of a fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) and a caterpillar. The current study explored the endogenetic fungal communities inhabiting Chinese Cordyceps. Samples were collected from five different geographical regions of Qinghai and Tibet, and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer-1 sequences from each sample were obtained using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that Ascomycota was the dominant fungal phylum in Chinese Cordyceps and its soil microhabitat from different sampling regions. Among the Ascomycota, 65 genera were identified, and the abundant operational taxonomic units showed the strongest sequence similarity to Ophiocordyceps, Verticillium, Pseudallescheria, Candida and Ilyonectria Not surprisingly, the genus Ophiocordyceps was the largest among the fungal communities identified in the fruiting bodies and external mycelial cortices of Chinese Cordyceps. In addition, fungal communities in the soil microhabitats were clustered separately from the external mycelial cortices and fruiting bodies of Chinese Cordyceps from different sampling regions. There was no significant structural difference in the fungal communities between the fruiting bodies and external mycelial cortices of Chinese Cordyceps. This study revealed an unexpectedly high diversity of fungal communities inhabiting the Chinese Cordyceps and its microhabitats.
Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (South) Ministry of Agriculture, and Engineering Research Center of Cell &Therapeutic Antibody (Ministry of Education), and School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.|State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China.
Fei
F
Xia
Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06032, United States.
Xin
X
Chen
Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (South) Ministry of Agriculture, and Engineering Research Center of Cell &Therapeutic Antibody (Ministry of Education), and School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
Meng-Yuan
MY
Guo
Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (South) Ministry of Agriculture, and Engineering Research Center of Cell &Therapeutic Antibody (Ministry of Education), and School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
Xiao-Hui
XH
Bai
Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (South) Ministry of Agriculture, and Engineering Research Center of Cell &Therapeutic Antibody (Ministry of Education), and School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
Yan
Y
Liu
Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (South) Ministry of Agriculture, and Engineering Research Center of Cell &Therapeutic Antibody (Ministry of Education), and School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
Guang-Rong
GR
Shen
Grassland Research Institute, Qinghai Academy of Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai Xining 810016, People's Republic of China.
Yu-Ling
YL
Li
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China.
Juan
J
Lin
Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (South) Ministry of Agriculture, and Engineering Research Center of Cell &Therapeutic Antibody (Ministry of Education), and School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
Xuan-Wei
XW
Zhou
D001483:Base Sequence; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D032661:Cordyceps / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D017753:Ecosystem; D048690:Fruiting Bodies, Fungal / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014644:Genetic Variation; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods*; D006999:Hypocreales / Q000235:genetics*; D025282:Mycelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D025341:Principal Component Analysis
D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer