Project description:Morchella sextelata, recognized for its medicinal properties and distinctive taste, is a highly valued edible mushroom. Despite its commercial importance, the mushroom's susceptibility to environmental factors and its reactions to herbicides commonly used in cultivation have not been extensively studied. This research aimed to explore how four prevalent herbicides—Trifluralin, Pendimethalin, S-metolachlor, and Acetochlor—affect the mycelial growth of Morchella sextelata. The study involved cultivating the mycelium in a Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium with concentrations of herbicides at ten times the standard application rate, followed by measuring the degree of mycelial growth inhibition. Employing transcriptomic analysis, RNA sequencing was conducted on the mycelium exposed to the herbicides. The subsequent transcriptome profiling indicated that the application of these herbicides impacted various biological pathways within Morchella sextelata, with a notable influence on glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and the glyoxylate cycle, which are crucial for energy production and metabolic processes. While Trifluralin and Pendimethalin demonstrated a less pronounced negative impact on mycelial growth, the study concluded that all tested herbicides were detrimental to Morchella sextelata. It is thus recommended that, in agricultural practice, the use of herbicides be approached with caution, and that application rates be strictly adhered to in order to ensure the healthy cultivation of Morchella sextelata and minimize potential pesticide residue issues.
Project description:The difference of gene expression between sclerotia-producing and non-sclerotia-producing single spore isolates from Morchella conica were preliminary analyzed by mRNA differential display reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique and 67 differential gene fragments were obtained. Fifty-eight of their second PCR products were cloned and sequenced. Thirteen special differential gene fragments related to sclerotial formation were validated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Some gene fragments had certain homologies with lipoprotein, cyclin-dependent kinase C-3, glycerophosphoryl diester phosphodiesterase, Rho GDP-dissociation inhibitor, gamma-aminobutyrate permease, OmpA family protein, Transcript antisense to ribosomal RNA protein, sodium-calcium exchange protein and keratin-associated proteins 5, 6. In addition, the putative protein of some DNA fragments had higher similarity with hypothetical protein-coding gene in NCBI database, as well as some were only putative gene fragments. All these fragments were speculated to be the functional gene associated with sclerotial formation in morel.