High-throughput sequencing-based analysis of endogenetic fungal communities inhabiting the Chinese Cordyceps reveals unexpectedly high fungal diversity

Abstract

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.

Uncovering fungal community composition in natural habitat of Ophiocordyceps sinensis using high-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent approaches

“…Previous study revealed that Ophiocordyceps was overwhelmingly dominant in the fruiting bodies and external mycelial cortices of the Chinese Cordyceps, which is consistent with our data. However, in soil samples, Ophiocordyceps, Verticillium, Pseudallescheria, Candida, Ilyonectria, Neonectria and Fusarium were the dominant genera [19]. Another previous study based on HiSeq sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genes of soil samples derived from the site that had a high density of Thitarodes larvae and Chinese Cordyceps at Shergyla Mountain revealed that Archaeorhizomyces, Hyphodiscus, Beutheromyces, Pezoloma, Venturia, Geogiossum, Clavulinopsis, Cotylidia, Rammanopsis, Peltigera and Cavana had high relative abundance [28].…”

“…Although the limited sampling sites covered by this study possibly result in decreasing of credibility of the present results, considerable previous studies support our data and hypothesis. [19,41] As well know, O. sinensis usually occur in the humus-rich horizon of soils. Unfortunately, in present study, we did not determine the characteristics of the soil samples.…”

Identification and Bioactive Potential of Endogenetic Fungi Isolated from Medicinal Caterpillar Fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis from Tibetan Plateau

“…For the research of Chinese Cordyceps, more and more investigators focused on their scientific interest in endogenetic fungi of Chinese Cordyceps and the fungal diversity (Zhang et al, 2010;Xia et al, 2015;Xia et al, 2016a;Xia et al, 2016b). Although endogenetic fungi of Chinese Cordyceps had been investigated and studied extensively, there was a little minor fault existing in the research process.…”

Uncovering fungal community composition in natural habitat of Ophiocordyceps sinensis using high-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent approaches

“…Previously, 490 fungal clones were identi ed from the wholecommunity DNA using PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) method, 266 of these clones were selected for sequencing and assigned to 21 genera [9]. Three main phyla, including Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Zygomycota and a notable numbers of unclassi ed Fungi, especially, in the sclerotia and external mycelial cortices were detected by high-throughput 454 sequencing technology [19].…”