Research Interests

Research Interests and Results

1. Fruiting body development mechanisms

Cordyceps militaris and Morchella spp. were used to study the mechanism of fruiting body development from the aspects of light signal of environmental factors, mating type, biological and abiotic stress. It will be helpful for the high-quality cultivation.

Zhang JJ, Wang F, Yang Y and Dong CH*. 2020. CmVVD is involved in fruiting body development and carotenoid production and the transcriptional linkage among three blue-light receptors in edible fungus Cordyceps militaris. Environmental Microbiology. 22(1):466-482.

Li X, Wang F, Liu MQ, Dong CH*. 2021. Hydrophobin CmHYD1 is involved in conidiation, infection and primordium formation, and regulated by GATA transcription factor CmAreA in edible fungus, Cordyceps militaris. J Fungi (Basel). 7(8):674.

Wang F, Liu Q, Zhang JJ, Liu KB, Li K, Liu GJ, Dong CH*. 2018. Comparative transcriptome analysis between a spontaneous albino mutant and its sibling strain of Cordyceps militaris in response to light stress. Frontiers in Microbiology. 9:1237.

Zhang JJ, Wang F*, Liu KB, Liu Q, Yang Y, Dong CH*. 2018. Heat and light stresses affect metabolite production in the fruit body of the medicinal mushroom Cordyceps militaris. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 102(10): 4523-4533.

Wang F, Song XH, Dong XM, Zhang JJ, Dong CH*. 2017. DASH-type cryptochromes regulate fruiting body development and secondary metabolism differently than CmWC-1 in the fungus Cordyceps militaris. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 101:4645-4657.

Yang T, Guo MM, Yang HJ, Guo SP and Dong CH*. 2016. The blue light receptor CmWC-1 mediates fruit body development and secondary metabolism in Cordyceps militaris. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 100: 743-755.

2. Life cycle and reproductive mode

The reproductive mode, life cycle and substrate degradation of Wolfiporia hoelen, Stropharia rugosoannulata, Naematelia aurantialba and Ganoderma spp. were revealed through genome and transcriptome studies, combined with traditional pairing experiments and observation of production of sexual spores.

Life cycle of Wolfiporia hoelen

Genome analysis of Stropharia rugosoannulata

Li SJ, Wang Q, Dong CH*. 2022. Bipolar system of sexual incompatibility and heterothallic life cycle in the basidiomycetes Pachyma hoelen Fr. (Fuling). Mycologia. 19:1-13.

Li SJ, Wang Q, Dong CH*. 2021. Distinguishing homokaryons and heterokaryons in medicinal polypore mushroom Wolfiporia cocos (Agaricomycetes) based on cultural and genetic characteristics. Frontiers in Microbiology. 11: 596715.

Yang Y, Meng GL, Ni SJ. Zhang HF, Dong CH*. 2022. Genomic nalysis of Stropharia rugosoannulata reveals its nutritional strategy and application potential in bioremediation. J Fungi (Basel). 8:162.

Yang Y, Li CL, Ni SJ, Zhang HF, Dong CH*. 2021. Ultrastructure and development of acanthocytes, specialized cells in Stropharia rugosoannulata, revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cryo-SEM. Mycologia. 113(1): 65-77.

3. Cross breeding, cytoplasmic breeding and gene editing breeding

The traditional cross breeding and cytoplasmic breeding of Wolfiporia hoelen, Cordyceps militaris, Morchella and Ganoderma were carried out. The strains of C. militaris and Morchella were modified by CRISPR/Cas9 technology, especially the strains with high cordycepin content in C. militaris were obtained by CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

Efficient gene edition and targeted gene deletion by AMA1-based CRISPR/Cas9 system in Cordyceps militaris