Penicillium-mediated toxicity and microbial dysbiosis are associated with fruiting body abortion in artificially cultivated Chinese cordyceps.
- Open access
Penicillium overgrowth and microbial imbalance are linked to 100% fruiting body abortion in artificially cultivated Chinese cordyceps.
- Why it matters: Fruiting body abortion hampers the yield and quality of Chinese cordyceps, a valuable medicinal fungus, and understanding its causes is crucial for improving cultivation success.
- What they did: Multi-omics analyses compared normal and abnormal samples, revealing increased Penicillium fungi, decreased Bacillus bacteria, and accumulation of Penicillium-derived antibiotics in abnormal development.
- The result: Penicillium-mediated toxicity and microbial dysbiosis are associated with developmental failure, suggesting that targeting Bacillus bacteria could help prevent fruiting body abortion.