This study aims to screen a strain from Armillaria for the cultivation of Gastrodia elata. Specifically, Armillaria strains were isolated from different producing areas of G. elata and identified. Based on the growth characteristics of the strains and the experiment on the cultivation of G. elata, an optimal A. gallica strain was screened out. The specific process is as follows. The fungus-gro-wing materials of G. elata were collected from four producing areas and the Armillaria strains were isolated(G,Y,S,H). The strains were then identified based on morphological observation and phylogeny analysis and the commonly used strains were determined. The sucrase genotypes of the strains were identified according to our previous research findings, and the growth characteristics of the strains, such as growth rate, diameter, dry weight, and polysaccharide content of the rhizomorphs, were measured. According to the biological characteristics and sucrase genotypes, two strains were selected for the cultivation of G. elata. The tuber yield and the content of gastrodin and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol in the tuber of G. elata were measured to select the optimal strain. The results showed that the four strains were all A. gallica. The rhizomorphs of strains G and H of the same sucrase genotype had larger/higher length, growth rate, diameter, branch number, dry weight, and polysaccharide content than those of strains S and Y of the same sucrase genotype. The tuber yield and the total content of gastrodin and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol in tuber of G. elata cultivated with strain H were 6.528 kg·m~(-2) and 0.566%, respectively, which were 4.58 and 1.30 folds those of G. elata cultivated with strain S. Strains H and S were screened out from four strains of A. gallica based on the growth characteristics and sucrase genotype. According to the tuber yield and content of total gastrodin and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol in the tuber of G. elata, strain H was identified as the optimal one. The findings in this study are expected to lay a basis for cultivating G. elata with high yield and quality of tubers.
Armillaria/genetics* ; Gastrodia ; Polysaccharides

Ten compounds were isolated from cultures of the fungus Armillaria mellea by silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic data analysis and compared their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature as 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-6-methylbenzoic acid (1), orsellinic acid (2), melleolide (3), ergosterol (4), genistein (5), daidzein (6), daucosterol (7), genistin (8), uracil (9) and D-mannitol (10). Compounds 1-10 were isolated from cultures of A. mellea for the first time. Among them, 14, 6 and 10 had been obtained from mycelia or rhizomorphs of A. mellea. The structure of compound 3 was determined by detailed analysis of its 1D and 2D NMR data in the solvent of DMSO for the first time.
Armillaria ; chemistry ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Organic Chemicals ; analysis ; isolation & purification

Armillaria gallica is a facultative parasitic fungus which is the only nutrient source of Gastrodia elata during its cultivation.Chitinase,as a glycosidic hydrolytic enzyme,plays an important role in the growth,development,stress tolerance and symbiotic signal transduction of A. gallica. There were 22 chitinase genes in A. gallica. Bioinformatics analysis of amino acid sequence of these chitinase genes revealed that 12 chitinase genes contained glycosidase 18 family( GH18) domain. Chitinase amino acid sequences of A. gallica,A. ostoyae,G. elata,Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Trichoderma harzianum were analyzed byclustering trees,so as to further predict the gene function of chitinase in A. gallica. Induction of A. gallica branching with strigolactone analogue GR24,high-throughput sequencing technology based on the induction of branch group( MHJ1),uninduced branch group( MHJ2) and blank control group( MHJ3) is used to detect the expression quantity,the transcription level data of 22 chitinase genes were obtained and the heat map was generated for expression pattern analysis. It was found that 8 genes may be involved in physiological processes such as A. gallica branching,cell wall degradation and remodeling. In this paper,the function of chitinase gene in A. gallica was just preliminarily analyzed and predicted.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Armillaria ; Chitinases ; Computational Biology ; Trichoderma

To produce an artificial fruiting body of Armillaria mellea on the oak sawdust medium, seven strains of A. mellea were used. The top surface of oak sawdust medium covered with ground raw carrot was inoculated with each of 7 strains and cultured for 30 days at 25degrees C in the dark condition until the mycelia of A. mellea completely colonized the medium from top to bottom. Then, the mycelia which were fully covered on the top surface of the medium were scratched slightly with a spatula and filled with tap water for 3 hours. To induce the primordial formation, the 7 strains of A. mellea were transferred to the growth chamber under the illumination (350 lux) of 12 hours and relative humidity of 85 +/- 5% in a day and then cultured at 16 +/- 1degrees C. Only A. mellea IUM 949 could form primordia on the sawdust medium, but the other strains did not make primordia at the same condition. The primordia of A. mellea IUM 949 were formed 10 days after complete colonization of the medium and the fruiting bodies were produced 7 days after a primordial formation. The experimental results suggested that IUM 949 strain might be a good candidate for mass production of fruiting bodies of A. mellea.
Armillaria* ; Colon ; Daucus carota* ; Fruit* ; Humidity ; Lighting ; Water

Armillaria gallica is a symbiotic fungus in the cultivation process of Gastrodia elata and Polyporus.The rhizomorph of A. gallica invades the stalk of the G. elata or the Sclerotium of the Polyporus,and is digested and utilized by the latter,becoming their important source of nutrition. Different nature of A. gallica affects the growth of G. elata and Polyporus. The authors collected A. gallica from 13 commercially available regions and screened two A. gallica,A and B,at the genetic and metabolic levels,in order to distinguish between the two A. gallica market. We have established convenient and effective DNA molecular identification method.By comparing the sequence differences between the A. gallica type A and type B invertase genes,PCR-RFLP primers were designed based on differential fragment. Primer ZTM.F/ZTM.R can amplified A. gallica type A and B,producing a band of about 304 bp in length. The restriction endonuclease EcoR V could recognize the difference sequence of A and B types of A. gallica. The type B was digested to form two fragments,thereby specifically identifying the A. gallica as type B. The established methods of PCR-RFLP is an accurate identification method for A. gallica. Therefore,in the cultivation process of G. elata and Polyporus,suitable strains can be selected according to different needs of variety,growth stage and ecological environment,and the yield and quality can be improved according to local conditions.
Armillaria ; classification ; Gastrodia ; microbiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polyporus

Sclerotia of Grifola umbellata were cultivated by two methods such as burying and root inoculation methods. The sclerotia of G. umbellata produced by the burying method were 6.0~6.8 x 3.4~4.6 x 1.8~1.9 cm (Width x Length x Thickness) in size and 17.3~19.6 g in weight, respectively. Their increase rate was 1.10~1.12 times. On the other hand, the sclerotia cultivated by the root inoculation method were 18.3~31.5 x 12.5~26.4 x 3.1~3.7 cm (Wx L x T) in size and 219.1~576.6 g in weight, respectively. Their growth increment was 11.18~39.77 times. The rhizomorphs of Armillaria mellea were developed with a high density under fallen leaves layer covering cultivation site, and distributed mainly between soil surface and soil depth of about 10 cm as well as colonized prominently on the inoculated wood logs. Fungal interaction between G. umbellata and A. mellea were observed mainly in the stage of white sclerotium of G. umbellata. The sclerotia of G. umbellata which were developed newly and harvested in the root inoculation method were twined with root hairs of host tree and rhizomorphs of A. mellea. The sclerotia of G. umbellata decomposing root hairs of host tree were confirmed through SEM examination. Physiochemical characteristics of soil in all cultivation sites had no significant differences. Soil pH were in the range of pH 3.98~4.40. Organic matters were the range of 17.97~23.86% and moisture contents of soil were 12.00~18.20%. Soil temperatures showed 12.9~13.8degrees C in November and 22.0~23.9degrees C in August, respectively. In conclusion, the root inoculation method seems to be a practical method for cultivating sclerotia of G. umbellata due to its many advantages such as simplicity of inoculation process, shortening of cultivation periods and facility of harvest.
Armillaria ; Colon ; Grifola* ; Hair ; Hand ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Soil ; Trees ; Wood

In order to improve the quality and yield of Gastrodia elata f. glauca,determine the suitable Armillaria strains for the accompanying experiment in Xiaocaoba,Yiliang,four Armillaria strains were selected. They were used for G. elata cultivation,and the gene sequence,r DNA-ITS,β-tubulin and EF1-α of four Armillaria strains,were compared and analyzed. The yield was mesured in November which was based on previous laboratory research. The tubers were washed and steamed,then dried and powdered. The content of gastrodin and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol was determined by UPLC,the polysaccharide was determined by phenol-concentrated sulfuric acid method. The results showed that the strains M1,M2,M3 and M4 were Armillaria gallica group but there were differences in the yield and active ingredient content when they were cultivated with the same G. elata. The yield of G. elata( Jian Ma) was the lowest when cultivated with Armillaria strain M3,but it was not the same when used M1,0. 981 kg·m-2,the highest yield in the four stains.The content of gastrodin was 0. 581%,the total content of gastrodin and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol was 0. 595%,when accompanied with M1 strains. It was higher than other strains. The content of G. elata polysaccharide was 2. 132%,which was similar to the content of M3 strain,higher than that of M2 and M4 strain. Selecting phylogenesis of Armillaria strians,the content of active ingredient,and the yield as indicators,it was concluded concerned that the M1 strain was the best of four strains. The results will provide a theoretical basis and guidance for higher yield and quality in cultivation of G. elata in Yiliang.
Armillaria/physiology* ; Gastrodia/microbiology* ; Phylogeny ; Plant Tubers/chemistry* ; Plants, Medicinal/microbiology*

The phenomenon that waste of fungus-growing materials in the planting process of Gastrodia elata is very common. It has been proved by practice that the used fungus-growing materials planted with G. elata can be used to plant Phallus impudicus. But the mechanism is unclear. In this study, we compared the different infested-capacity of Armillaria gallica and Phallus impudicus by morphological anatomy of the used fungus-growing materials. We also compared the differences on the two fungi consumed the main contents of fungus-growing materials, cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose, by using nitric acid-95% ethanol method, sulfuric acid method and tetrabromide method respectively, so that to explore the mechanism of A. gallica and P. impudicus recycle the fungus-growing materials, and to provide scientific basis for recycling the used fungus-growing materials of G. elata. The results showed that A. gallica had a strong ability to invade some parts outside the vascular cambium, but it had a weak ability to invade some parts inside the vascular cambium, while P. impudicus had a strong ability to invade the same parts. The contents of lignin and cellulose, which from inside and outside the vascular cambium of fungus-growing materials were significantly different. In the parts of outside the vascular cambium of fungus-growing materials, A. gallica degraded more lignin and cellulose, while P. impudicus degraded more hemicellulose. In the parts of inside the vascular cambium of fungus-growing materials, A. gallica degraded more cellulose, while P. impudicus degraded more hemicellulose. The present results suggested that A. gallica and P. impudicus made differential utilization of the carbon source in the fungus-growing materials to realize that P. impudicus recycle the used fungus-growing materials of G. elata. A. gallica used lignin and cellulose as the main carbon source, while P. impudicus used hemicellulose as the main carbon source.
Agaricales/growth & development* ; Armillaria/growth & development* ; Cellulose/metabolism* ; Lignin/metabolism* ; Polysaccharides/metabolism*

We used reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE) techniques to obtain the full-length cDNA of beta-mannanase (EC 3.2.1.78) from Armillariella tabescens EJLY2098 (an edible fungus). Sequence analysis of the 1481 bp full-length cDNA encoding 445 amino acid residues indicated that the gene contained two structural domains, cellulose-binding domains (CBD) and glycoside hydrolase family 5 (GHF5) domains, other than the conserved beta-mannanase domain. Thus, we classified this gene as a member of glycoside hydrolase family 5. Next, we cloned a 1308 bp fragment encoding the beta-mannanase mature peptide (re-atMAN47) into the expression vector pPICZalphaA and expressed it in Pichia pastoris. The yield was 440 mg/L. Enzyme activity reached a maximum of 1.067 IU/mL after 72 h of methanol induction. The re-atMAN47 had an optimal temperature of 60 degrees C and an optimal pH of 5.5. It manifested broad thermostability from 30 degrees C-65 degrees C, and was stable between pH 4.5-7.0. This study represents the first record of a beta-mannanase from Armillariella tabescens EJLY2098 and provides a new source of carbohydrate hydrolysis enzyme with good biosafety, thermostability and wide pH stability. It is a good approach for the industrial needs of feed, food and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Armillaria ; classification ; enzymology ; genetics ; Cloning, Molecular ; Enzyme Stability ; Pichia ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; beta-Mannosidase ; biosynthesis ; chemistry ; genetics

Firstly, We used error-prone PCR to induce mutations on Armillariella tabescens MAN47 beta-mannanase gene, Secondly, we cloned the mutated fragments into secreted expression vector pYCalpha, Then the recombinant plasmids were transformed into Saccharomyces cerevisiae BJ5465 after amplified and extracted in DH5alpha cells. Through three cycles of error-prone PCR we built a mutant database, Then we screened one optimum (named M262) from about 104 mutants. The evoluted MAN47 beta-mannanase displayed both higher thermal stability and activity than wide type. The evoluted enzyme M262 retained high activity after treatment at 80 degrees C for 30 min, whereas, the wild type nearly lost activity under this condition. Meanwhile, the activity of M262 can reach to 25 U/mL, which is 4.3 times as wide type under optimum temperature. In addition, pH stability and pH range of evoluted enzyme M262 were both improved compared with wild-type enzyme. The optimum pH was estimated to be similar to that of wild-type enzyme. The sequence comparison illustrated that there were three nucleotide substitutions (T343A/C827T/T1139C) which carried corresponding amino acid changes (Ser115Thr/Thr276Met/Val380Ala). According to homologous modeling by SWISS-MODEL Repository, three mutated amino acids located at the sixth amino acid of the fourth beta-sheet, the first amino acid of the sixth alpha-helix, the turn between the tenth and eleventh beta-sheet, respectively.
Armillaria ; classification ; enzymology ; genetics ; Directed Molecular Evolution ; Enzyme Stability ; Escherichia coli ; enzymology ; genetics ; Hot Temperature ; Mutant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Point Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Protein Engineering ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; enzymology ; genetics ; beta-Mannosidase ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism