Effects of various preservation periods and subcultures on fruiting body formation of Cordyceps militaris were investigated using EFCC C-10995 single ascospore strains. Fruiting body formation by original strains was profuse when preserved at 4degrees C for 5~6 months. Fruiting from subcultures was stable till second to sixth subcultures, after which it decreased sharply. The more the colony color of subcultures changed, the less the fruiting bodies formed. Liquid inoculum preparation of single ascospore strains in the same or separate broths did not affect fruiting body formation. Similarly, two strains C-10995-3 and C-10995-6 in different numbers during liquid inoculum preparation produced similar fruiting bodies.
Cordyceps* ; Fruit*

OBJECTIVETo provide a rapid, simple, accurate and reproducible identification method from which Cordyceps sinensis can be distinguished from other species.

METHODTo observe the larva and stroma of Cordyceps family with macroscopic identification method, and with powder microscopic identification method.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONFor macroscopic, only stroma of C. sinensis is mostly non-inflated, and un-obtuse at the tip, the caterpillar annulations of C. sinensis and the C. gracilis is distinct, about 20-30, and feet of above two are 8 pairs, 4 of 8 pairs are relatively distinct. The above appearance shows its unique characteristic. For microscopic identification, only C. sinensis exists microtrichia, the tip is pointed. The arranging order of stubby setae is irregular, the tip is blunt while the basal is gradually broader; the top of some setae bends slightly like a hook.

The earliest pre-Linnaean fungal genera are briefly discussed here with special emphasis on the nomenclatural connection with the genus Cordyceps Fr. Since its valid publication under the basidiomycetous genus Clavaria Vaill. ex L. (Clavaria militaris L. Sp. Pl. 2:1182, 1753), the genus Cordyceps has undergone nomenclatural changes in the post-Linnaean era, but has stood firmly for approximately 200 years. Synonyms of Cordyceps were collected from different literature sources and analyzed based on the species they represent. True synonyms of Cordyceps Fr. were defined as genera that represented species of Cordyceps Fr. emend. G. H. Sung, J. M. Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora. The most common synonyms of Cordyceps observed were Clavaria and Sphaeria Hall, reported in the 18th and in the first half of the 19th century, respectively. Cordyceps, the oldest genus in the Cordyceps s. s. clade of Cordycipitaceae, is the most preferred name under the "One Fungus = One Name" principle on priority bases.
Cordyceps* ; Fungi ; Publications

Previously, we found that KTH-13 isolated from the butanol fraction of Cordyceps bassiana (Cb-BF) displayed anti-cancer activity. To improve its antiproliferative activity and production yield, we employed a total synthetic approach and derivatized KTH-13 to obtain chemical analogs. In this study, one KTH-13 derivative, 4-(tert-butyl)-2,6-bis(1-phenylethyl)phenol (KTH-13-t-Bu), was selected to test its anti-cancer activity. KTH-13-t-Bu diminished the proliferation of C6 glioma, MDA-MB-231, LoVo, and HCT-15 cells. KTH-13-t-Bu induced morphological changes in C6 glioma cells in a dose-dependent manner. KTH-13-t-Bu also increased the level of early apoptotic cells stained with annexin V-FITC. Furthermore, KTH-13-t-Bu increased the levels of cleaved caspase-3 and -9. In contrast, KTH-13-t-Bu upregulated the levels of pro- and cleaved forms of caspase-3, -8, and -9 and Bcl-2. Phospho-STAT3, phospho-Src, and phospho-AKT levels were also diminished by KTH13-t-Bu treatment. Therefore, these results strongly suggest that KTH-13-t-Bu can be considered a novel anti-cancer drug displaying pro-apoptotic activity.
Caspase 3 ; Cordyceps ; Glioma

In vitro fruiting bodies were produced from ten different isolates of Cordyceps militaris EFCC C-5736, EFCC C-5941, EFCC C-5976, EFCC C-6040, EFCC C-6849, EFCC C-7268, EFCC C-7342, EFCC C-7992, EFCC C-8027 and EFCC C-8549. Single ascospores were isolated from in vitro grown fruiting bodies and used for fruiting body production in brown rice medium by both intra-strain crossing and out-crossing. Length and dry wt. of stromata grown in vitro were measured. Strains producing highest dry wt. of stromata were selected. Both intra-strain crossings and inter-strain crossings of single ascospore strains were found to produce profuse fruiting bodies of C. militaris.
Cordyceps* ; Efficiency* ; Fruit*

A specimen of Beauveria bassiana was collected from Yang-yang of Gangwon province, Korea in October 2006. Conidial isolates were prepared from the specimen by the dilution method and inoculated in brown rice medium for fruiting body production. After nearly two months incubation for perithecial stromata developed from single isolates as well as from their combinations. They were determined as Cordyceps bassiana by observing the stromatal characters and their conidial structures. This is the first report of the development of C. bassiana from B. bassiana cultures.
Beauveria ; Cordyceps ; Fruit ; Korea

In order to breed a Cordyceps bassiana isolate that stably forms fruiting body in artificial cultivation, isolates derived from subculturing and single spores were tested through mating. From C. bassiana EFCC 783, three subcultured isolates EFCC 2830, EFCC 2831 and EFCC 2832 were obtained and fourteen single conidial isolates were obtained from these three subcultured isolates. Two different morphological types were found in the fourteen single conidial isolates. One type was able to form synnemata and another type was not able to form synnemata. Since switch of morphological type was not observed despite their continuous subculturing, cross was performed between the two types and the formation of fruiting body was examined. Ascospores were obtained from a selected fruiting body formed by hybrid of the cross. Self-cross and combinational cross of the ascospore-derived isolates generated hybrids that stably produce high quality fruiting body in artificial media.
Cordyceps* ; Fruit* ; Spores

To analyze the content and type of soluble proteins in Cordyceps sinensis from different producing areas and processed with different methods with bradford method and 2-DE technology, in order to discover significant differences in soluble proteins in C. sinensis processed with different methods and from different producing areas. The preliminary study indicated that the content and diversity of soluble proteins were related to producing areas and processing methods to some extent.
Cordyceps ; chemistry ; Proteins ; chemistry ; Solubility

The present study was carried out to explore the Cordyceps species and other entomopathogenic fungal flora around Kathmandu Valley and a few high altitude locations of Nepal. In this paper, we report eight Cordyceps species as new to Nepal: C. gracilis, C. ishikariensis, C. liangshanensis, C. martialis, C. militaris, C. pruinosa, C. sphecocephala and C. tricentri. We also mention a few allied genera such as Beauveria, Hirsutella and Paecilomyces from Nepal. Further collections from different ecological regions of Nepal will show the richness of entomopathogenic fungal floral diversity of Nepal.
Altitude ; Beauveria ; Cordyceps* ; Nepal* ; Paecilomyces

Cordyceps cardinalis successfully produced its fruiting bodies from multi-ascospore isolates. However, subcultures of multi-ascospore isolates could not produce fruiting bodies after few generations. Fruiting body production also differed from sector to sector of the same isolate. Single ascospore isolates were then co-inoculated in combinations of two to observe the fruiting characteristics. Combinations of certain isolates produced perithecial stromata formation, whereas other combinations did not produce any fruiting bodies. These results show that C. cardinalis is a heterothallic fungus, requiring two isolates of opposite mating types for fruiting body production. It was also shown that single ascospore isolates are hermaphrodites.
Cordyceps ; Family Characteristics ; Fruit ; Fungi