Transcriptome analysis of Auricularia fibrillifera fruit-body responses to drought stress and rehydration

Abstract

Background Drought stress severely restricts edible fungus production. The genus Auricularia has a rare drought tolerance, a rehydration capability, and is nutrient rich. Results The key genes and metabolic pathways involved in drought-stress and rehydration were investigated using a transcriptome analysis to clarify the relevant molecular mechanisms. In total, 173.93 Mb clean reads, 26.09 Gb of data bulk, and 52,954 unigenes were obtained. Under drought-stress and rehydration conditions, 14,235 and 8539 differentially expressed genes, respectively, were detected. ‘Tyrosine metabolic’, ‘caffeine metabolism’, ‘ribosome’, ‘phagosome’, and ‘proline and arginine metabolism’, as well as ‘peroxisome’ and ‘mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling’ pathways, had major roles in A. fibrillifera responses to drought stress. ‘Tyrosine’ and ‘caffeine metabolism’ might reveal unknown mechanisms for the antioxidation of A. fibrillifera under drought-stress conditions. During the rehydration process, ‘diterpenoid biosynthesis’, ‘butanoate metabolism’, ‘C5-branched dibasic acid’, and ‘aflatoxin biosynthesis’ pathways were significantly enriched. Gibberellins and γ-aminobutyric acid were important in the recovery of A. fibrillifera growth after rehydration. Many genes related to antibiotics, vitamins, and other health-related ingredients were found in A. fibrillifera. Conclusion These findings suggested that the candidate genes and metabolites involved in crucial biological pathways might regulate the drought tolerance or rehydration of Auricularia, shedding light on the corresponding mechanisms and providing new potential targets for the breeding and cultivation of drought-tolerant fungi.

Interactions of Gibberellins with Phytohormones and Their Role in Stress Responses

“…Exogenous GA application increases GABA content in rice seeds [127], and controls GABA accumulation in grapevine depending on the time of application [128]. Moreover, GAs and GABA synthesis genes are upregulated after drought in Auricularia fibrillifera, suggesting potential synergy under specific conditions [129]. Dopamine (DA), another animal neurotransmitter also present in plants, can decrease ABA levels and increase GA levels in DA-treated maize seeds, stimulating their germination [130].…”

Integrative proteomic and physiological analyses of the molecular response to dessication-stress in Auricularia fibrillifera

“…A dessication-tolerant A. fibrillifera cultivar “CSLZ” was used for this study. The strain was maintained in a culture medium to generate fruiting bodies ( Wang et al, 2022 ). Upon reaching full mycelial colonization, polyethylene bags were removed, and the substrate was cultured at 25 ± 1°C under a 15:9 h-light/dark cycle.…”

“…Both biotin and folate have ultraviolet absorption at 210 nm, and their contents were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) and ultraviolet detector (Shimadzu). Melanin was extracted using a method by Wang et al (2022) . Shortly, 1.0 g fruit body was ground in 50 mL of 1 M NaOH.…”

“…The transcriptome data were retrieved from our previous study (NCBI SRA database under accession no. PRJNA695780 ) ( Wang et al, 2022 ). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were chosen by DESeq software according to the following criteria: fold-change ≥ 2 and Q-value ≤ 0.001.…”

“…Some mechanisms of drought response are similar between A. fibrillifera and plant species ( Wang et al, 2016 , 2022 ; Zandalinas et al, 2018 ; Mahmood et al, 2019 ). The physiological effects induced by drought stress include altered cell wall elasticity, increased oxidative stress ( Caruso et al, 2009 ), toxic metabolite generation, and extensive cellular damage in plants ( Ahuja et al, 2010 ; Zandalinas et al, 2018 ).…”