ABSTRACT: Ant-infecting Ophiocordyceps genomes reveal a high diversity of potential behavioral manipulation genes and a possible major role for enterotoxins
Project description:Ant-infecting Ophiocordyceps genomes reveal a high diversity of potential behavioral manipulation genes and a possible major role for enterotoxins
Project description:Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sacc., a complex of larval carcass (sclerotium) and stroma formed by the fungus of Hirsutella sinensis infecting Hepialidae insect larvae, whose fruiting body is also the main fungal structure used for taxonomic identification. However, the induction of fruiting body is still inefficient and the high cost resulting in the large-scale artificial cultivation of this fungus has been unsuccessful in China.In this study,important factors and target genes associated with the fruiting body induction during the development of O. sinensis were identified, providing a basic molecular mechanism for facilitating the large-scale artificial cultivation of O. sinensis.
Project description:Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sacc., a complex of larval carcass (sclerotium) and stroma formed by the fungus of Hirsutella sinensis infecting Hepialidae insect larvae, whose fruiting body is also the main fungal structure used for taxonomic identification. However, the induction of fruiting body is still inefficient and the high cost resulting in the large-scale artificial cultivation of this fungus has been unsuccessful in China.In this study,important factors and target genes associated with the fruiting body induction during the development of O. sinensis were identified, providing a basic molecular mechanism for facilitating the large-scale artificial cultivation of O. sinensis.
Project description:The natural histories of various parasite-host interactions that involve adaptive manipulation of host behavior describe a time-of-day synchronization of certain events. One example is the manipulated biting behavior observed in Carpenter ants infected with Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato. Field observations in Thailand demonstrated that manipulated biting takes place around solar noon. Laboratory work with species from South Carolina, demonstrated a shift of this synchronized biting event to the early morning. We therefore hypothesize that biological clocks play an important role in these and other parasite-host interactions. To set the stage for our future research into this, we, here, aimed to explore if fungal species of the complex O. unilateralis s.l. have a functional molecular clock. We, therefore, performed RNA-Seq on time course samples of the recently sequenced species Ophiocordyceps kimflemingiae. Fungal blastospores grown in liquid media were harvested under cycling light-dark and continuous darkness conditions. Rhythmic mRNA levels were assessed with JTK_CYCLE. We found that O. kimflemingiae is not hugely rhythmic under our sampling conditions, but rhythmicity can be observed. Moreover, we identified functional homologs of known clock genes. In addition, our data indicated that regulation of transcription appears to take place during the light phase (day time). In contrast, the expression levels of a significant number of secreted enzymes, proteases, toxins and small bioactive compounds peaked during the dark phase (night time). This suggests that this fungal parasite might indeed rely on biological clocks for the precise daily timing of certain events and additionally validates further research into this.
