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Molecular analysis and biochemical characteristics of degenerated strains of Cordyceps militaris

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Abstract

Cordyceps militaris has commercially been cultivated, but its degenerated subcultures have gradually resulted in the reduced production. In this study, the biological characteristics and DNA change of degenerated strains of C. militaris were analyzed in detail. The results showed that the degenerated strains exhibited the lower growth rate, and the deficiency in fruit body formation and pigment production. The degradation of strains was not attributable to DNA changes identified by RAPD and SRAP. Compared to normal strains, the biochemical indexes of degradation strains and normal strains showed that the carotenoid content of degradation strains was significantly lower, the activities of cellulase and amylase of degradation strains were slight lower, and the EPS content was lower, but the IPS was higher. All these results suggested that the degradation of C. militaris may be caused by the inhibition or in harmony of metabolite synthesis involved in the metabolic regulation, which should be further verified.

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Abbreviations

C. versicolor :

Cordyceps militaris

C. sinensi :

Cordyceps sinensi

EPS:

Extracellular polysaccharide

IPS:

Intracellular polysaccharide

RAPD:

Random amplified polymorphic DNA

SRAP:

Sequence-related amplified polymorphism

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31201669), the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province for Distinguished Young Scholars (Grant No. 2014J06010), the major platform for the development of edible fungus industry technology in Fujian Province (Grant No. 2014N2001), and the Major Extension Program of Agriculture Technologies from The Ministry of Finance and Agriculture of China (Grant No. KNJ-153011-3).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People’s Republic of China

    Shu-Jing Sun, Chang-Huan Deng, Liao-Yuan Zhang & Kai-Hui Hu

  2. Gutian Edible Fungi Research Institute, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Gutian, 352200, People’s Republic of China

    Shu-Jing Sun

Authors
  1. Shu-Jing Sun
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  2. Chang-Huan Deng
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  3. Liao-Yuan Zhang
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  4. Kai-Hui Hu
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Correspondence to Kai-Hui Hu.

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Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt.

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Sun, SJ., Deng, CH., Zhang, LY. et al. Molecular analysis and biochemical characteristics of degenerated strains of Cordyceps militaris . Arch Microbiol 199, 939–944 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-017-1359-0

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