Development of Ophiocordyceps sinensis through Plant-Mediated Interkingdom Host Colonization

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Wei Lei¹  Guren Zhang²  Qingyun Peng²  Xin Liu² 

[1] Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang 524001, China; E-Mail:;Food and Health Engineering Research Center of State Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; E-Mails:

关键词: Ophiocordyceps sinensis;    interkingdom colonization;    plant;    caterpillar;    development;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms160817482

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a well-known entomogenous and medicinal fungus. After its anamorphs parasitize the larvae of the genus Thitarodes, fruit-bodies may form to be used as medicine. However, its developmental mechanisms remain unknown. The distribution of O. sinensis was determined in different tissues of the Thitarodes larvae and the dominant plant species using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, respectively. We found that more fungal material was located in plants than in larvae, especially in Ranunculus tanguticus. A considerable amount was detected in larval intestinal-wall and plant roots. It is suggested that plants are the potential hosts of O. sinensis, which modifies our understanding of the life cycle of O. sinensis and indicates that the phytophagous larvae may become infected as they feed. Our research may contribute to the study of systematic evolution and population ecology of O. sinensis, elucidate its developmental mechanism and promote sustainable harvesting.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.