Cmfhp Gene Mediates Fruiting Body Development and Carotenoid Production in Cordyceps militaris.

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Citation abstract

Cordyceps militaris fruiting bodies contain a variety of bioactive components that are beneficial to the human body. However, the low yield of fruiting bodies and the low carotenoid content in C. militaris have seriously hindered the development of the C. militaris industry. To elucidate the developmental mechanism of the fruiting bodies of C. militaris and the biosynthesis mechanism of carotenoids, the function of the flavohemoprotein-like Cmfhp gene of C. militaris was identified for the first time. The Cmfhp gene was knocked out by the split-marker method, and the targeted gene deletion mutant Δ Cmfhp was obtained. An increased nitric oxide (NO) content, no fruiting body production, decreased carotenoid content, and reduced conidial production were found in the mutant Δ Cmfhp. These characteristics were restored when the Cmfhp gene expression cassette was complemented into the Δ Cmfhp strain by the Agrobacterium tumefaciens -mediated transformation method. Nonetheless, the Cmfhp gene had no significant effect on the mycelial growth rate of C. militaris. These results indicated that the Cmfhp gene regulated the biosynthesis of NO and carotenoids, the development of fruiting bodies, and the formation of conidia. These findings potentially pave the way to reveal the developmental mechanism of fruiting bodies and the biosynthesis mechanism of carotenoids in C. militaris.