Dataset Information

Genetic diversity and distribution patterns of host insects of Caterpillar Fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

ABSTRACT: The caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis is one of the most valuable medicinal fungi in the world, and it requires host insects in family Hepialidae (Lepidoptera) to complete its life cycle. However, the genetic diversity and phylogeographic structures of the host insects remain to be explored. We analyzed the genetic diversity and temporal and spatial distribution patterns of genetic variation of the host insects throughout the O. sinensis distribution. Abundant haplotype and nucleotide diversity mainly existed in the areas of Nyingchi, ShangriLa, and around the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where are considered as the diversity center or micro-refuges of the host insects of O. sinensis. However, there was little genetic variation among host insects from 72.1% of all populations, indicating that the host species composition might be relatively simple in large-scale O. sinensis populations. All host insects are monophyletic except for those from four O. sinensis populations around Qinghai Lake. Significant phylogeographic structure (NST>GST, P<0.05) was revealed for the monophyletic host insects, and the three major phylogenetic groups corresponded with specific geographical areas. The divergence of most host insects was estimated to have occurred at ca. 3.7 Ma, shortly before the rapid uplift of the QTP. The geographical distribution and star-like network of the haplotypes implied that most host insects were derived from the relicts of a once-widespread host that subsequently became fragmented. Neutrality tests, mismatch distribution analysis, and expansion time estimation confirmed that most host insects presented recent demographic expansions that began ca. 0.118 Ma in the late Pleistocene. Therefore, the genetic diversity and distribution of the present-day insects should be attributed to effects of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplift and glacial advance/retreat cycles during the Quaternary ice age. These results provide valuable information to guide the protection and sustainable use of these host insects as well as O. sinensis.

SUBMITTER: Quan QM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3965410 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genetic diversity and distribution patterns of host insects of Caterpillar Fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Quan Qing-Mei QM Chen Ling-Ling LL Wang Xi X Li Shan S Yang Xiao-Ling XL Zhu Yun-Guo YG Wang Mu M Cheng Zhou Z

PloS one 20140325 3

The caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis is one of the most valuable medicinal fungi in the world, and it requires host insects in family Hepialidae (Lepidoptera) to complete its life cycle. However, the genetic diversity and phylogeographic structures of the host insects remain to be explored. We analyzed the genetic diversity and temporal and spatial distribution patterns of genetic variation of the host insects throughout the O. sinensis distribution. Abundant haplotype and nucleotide d ...[more]

PMID: 24667533

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Project description:BackgroundOphiocordyceps sinensis, which is only naturally found in the high-elevation extreme environment of the Tibetan Plateau, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine. Information concerning the evolutionary and geologic context of O. sinensis remains limited, however.MethodsWe constructed the high-quality genome of O. sinensis and provided insight into the evolution and ecology of O. sinensis using comparative genomics.ResultsWe mapped the whole genome of the anamorph/asexual form Hirsutella of O. sinensis using Illumina and PacBio sequencing technologies and obtained a well assembled genome of 119.2 Mbp size. Long-read Single Molecule Real Time (SMRT) sequencing technology generated an assembly with more accurate representation of repeat sequence abundances and placement. Evolutionary analyses indicated that O. sinensis diverged from other fungi 65.9 Mya in the Upper Cretaceous, during the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Gene family expansions and contractions in addition to genome inflation via long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon insertions were implicated as an important driver of O. sinensis divergence. The insertion rate of LTR sequences into the O. sinensis genome peaked ~ 30-40 Mya, when the Tibetan Plateau rose rapidly. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis suggested that O. sinensis contained more genes related to ice binding compared to other closely related fungi, which may aid in their adaptability to the cold Tibetan Plateau. Further, heavy metal resistance genes were in low abundance in the O. sinensis genome, which may help to explain previous observations that O. sinensis tissues contain high levels of heavy metals.ConclusionsOur results reveal the evolutionary, geological, and ecological context for the evolution of the O. sinensis genome and the factors that have contributed to the environmental adaptability of this valuable fungus. These findings suggest that genome inflation via LTR retrotransposon insertions in O. sinensis coincided with the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. LTRs and the specific genetic mechanisms of O. sinensis contributed to its adaptation to the environment on the plateau.

Project description:Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) as well as comammox catalyze ammonia oxidation. The distribution and biogeography of these ammonia oxidizers might be distinctive in high-elevation rivers, which are generally characterized by low temperature and low ammonium concentration but strong solar radiation; however, these characteristics have rarely been documented. This study explored the abundance, community, and activity of ammonia oxidizers in the overlying water of five rivers in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Potential nitrification rates in these rivers ranged from 5.4 to 38.4 nmol N liter-1 h-1, and they were significantly correlated with ammonium concentration rather than temperature. Comammox were found in 25 of the total 28 samples, and they outnumbered AOA in three samples. Contrary to most studied low-elevation rivers, average AOB amoA gene abundance was significantly higher than that of AOA, and AOB/AOA ratios increased with decreasing water temperature. The Simpson index of the AOA community increased with elevation (P < 0.05), and AOA and AOB communities exhibited high dissimilarities with low-elevation rivers. Cold-adapted (Nitrosospira amoA cluster 1, 33.6%) and oligotrophic (Nitrosomonas amoA cluster 6a, 31.7%) groups accounted for large proportions in the AOB community. Suspended sediment concentration exerted significant effects on ammonia oxidizer abundance (r > 0.56), and owing to their elevational variations in source and concentration, suspended sediments facilitated distance-decay patterns for AOA and AOB community similarities. This study demonstrates distinctive biogeography and distribution patterns for ammonia oxidizers in high-elevation rivers of the QTP. Extensive research should be conducted to explore the role of these microbes in the nitrogen cycle of this zone.IMPORTANCE Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) as well as comammox contribute to ammonia oxidation, which plays significant roles in riverine nitrogen cycle and N2O production. Source regions of numerous rivers in the world lie in high-elevation zones, but the abundance, community, and activity of ammonia oxidizers in rivers in high-elevation regions have rarely been investigated. This study revealed distinctive distribution patterns and community structures for ammonia oxidizers in five high-elevation rivers of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the individual and combined effects of low temperature, low nutrients, and strong solar radiation on ammonia oxidizers were elucidated. The findings of this study are helpful to broaden our knowledge on the biogeography and distribution pattern of ammonia oxidizers in river systems. Moreover, this study provides some implications to predict the performance of ammonia oxidizers in high-elevation rivers and its variations under global climate warming.

Dataset Information

Genetic diversity and distribution patterns of host insects of Caterpillar Fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Publications

Genetic diversity and distribution patterns of host insects of Caterpillar Fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

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