Assembly and comparative analysis of the complete multichromosomal mitochondrial genome of Cymbidium ensifolium, an orchid of high economic and ornamental value.

BACKGROUND: Orchidaceae is one of the largest groups of angiosperms, and most species have high economic value and scientific research value due to their ornamental and medicinal properties. In China, Chinese Cymbidium is a popular ornamental orchid with high economic value and a long history. However, to date, no detailed information on the mitochondrial genome of any species of Chinese Cymbidium has been published. RESULTS: Here, we present the complete assembly and annotation of the mitochondrial genome of Cymbidium ensifolium (L.) Sw. The mitogenome of C. ensifolium was 560,647 bp in length and consisted of 19 circular subgenomes ranging in size from 21,995 bp to 48,212 bp. The genome encoded 35 protein-coding genes, 36 tRNAs, 3 rRNAs, and 3405 ORFs. Repeat sequence analysis and prediction of RNA editing sites revealed a total of 915 dispersed repeats, 162 simple repeats, 45 tandem repeats, and 530 RNA editing sites. Analysis of codon usage showed a preference for codons ending in A/T. Interorganellar DNA transfer was identified in 13 of the 19 chromosomes, with plastid-derived DNA fragments representing 6.81% of the C. ensifolium mitochondrial genome. The homologous fragments of the mitochondrial genome and nuclear genome were also analysed. Comparative analysis showed that the GC content was conserved, but the size, structure, and gene content of the mitogenomes varied greatly among plants with multichromosomal mitogenome structure. Phylogenetic analysis based on the mitogenomes reflected the evolutionary and taxonomic statuses of C. ensifolium. Interestingly, compared with the mitogenomes of Cymbidium lancifolium Hook. and Cymbidium macrorhizon Lindl., the mitogenome of C. ensifolium lost 8 ribosomal protein-coding genes. CONCLUSION: In this study, we assembled and annotated the mitogenome of C. ensifolium and compared it with the mitogenomes of other Liliidae and plants with multichromosomal mitogenome structures. Our findings enrich the mitochondrial genome database of orchid plants and reveal the rapid structural evolution of Cymbidium mitochondrial genomes, highlighting the potential for mitochondrial genes to help decipher plant evolutionary history.

Diversity and Network Relationship Construction of Soil Fungal Communities in Lactarius hatsudake Tanaka Orchard during Harvest.

Lactarius hatsudake Tanaka is a mycorrhizal edible mushroom with rich economic and nutritional value. Although it is artificially planted, its yield is unstable. Soil fungi, including L. hatsudake, coexist with many other microorganisms and plants. Therefore, complex microbial communities have an influence on the fruiting body formation of L. hatsudake. L. hatsudake and its interactions with the rest of the fungal community over time are not completely understood. In this study, we performed high-throughput sequencing of microorganisms in the basal soil of the fruiting body (JT), mycorrhizosphere soil (JG), and non-mushroom-producing soil (CK) in a 6-year-old L. hatsudake plantation at harvest. The results showed that the soil of the L. hatsudake plantation was rich in fungal communities and a total of 10 phyla, 19 classes, 53 orders, 90 families, 139 genera, and 149 species of fungi were detected. At the phylum level, the major groups were Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. At the genus level, the dominant groups were Lactarius, Trichoderma, Suillus, and Penicillium. Among them, L. hatsudake had an absolute dominant position in the soil fungal community of the plantation, and was the only group of Lactarius in the plantation soil. Penicillium cryptum and Penicillium adametzii were unique to the JT soil sample. Chaetopsphaeria, Myxocephala, Devriesia, and Psathyrella were positively correlated with L. hatsudake. In the constructed fungal network, the total number of nodes were ranked in descending order as JG (441) > CK (405) > JT (399), while the total number of edges were ranked in descending order as CK (1360) > JG (647) > JT (586). Analysis of the fungal assembly process revealed that groups CK and JG have determinative processes that dominated community building, while the JT group exhibited a dominant random process with a 0.60 probability. The results indicated that L. hatsudake was successfully colonized in the plantation soil. During harvest, the CK group exhibited the largest network size and the most complex fungal interactions, while the fungal community structure in the mushroom cultivation zone (JT and JG) was stable and less susceptible to external environmental interference. L. hatsudake affects the fungal community in the soil surrounding its fruiting body.

Mycena subpiligera sp. nov., a Symbiotic Species from China Associated with the Seed Germination of Gastrodia elata.

Mycena subpiligera, a new taxon in sect. Fragilipedes that can strongly enhance the germination efficiency of Gastrodia elata seeds, was discovered in subtropical areas of China. As revealed by a morphological comparison with related Mycena species as well as maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the large subunit (LSU) regions of nuclear ribosomal RNA, the new taxon can be distinguished from phenotypically similar and phylogenetically related species. Optimal cultural conditions for M. subpiligera basidiomata are reported, and the germination rate of the new species is compared with that of M. citrinomarginata.

A high-quality genome assembly of Lactarius hatsudake strain JH5.

Lactarius hatsudake is a species of Lactarius commonly found in pine forests, is edible with a delicious and nutritious fruiting body, and exhibits medicinal properties. It is an ideal natural multifunctional food with bioactive components including fungal polysaccharides, crude fiber, unsaturated fatty acids, nucleic acid derivatives, various amino acids, and vitamins. However, biological and genomic analyses of this mycorrhizal mushroom are sparse, thereby hindering large-scale cultivation. Previously, we isolated and screened L. hatsudake JH5 strains and have applied our garnered knowledge to the large-scale cultivation of mycorrhizal seedlings. In this study, we produced a high-quality genome assembly of L. hatsudake JH5 by combining Illumina paired-end and PacBio single molecule real-time sequencing, resulting in PacBio single molecule real-time reads of 7.67 Gb and Illumina Pair-End reads of 1,560 Mb. Based on the distribution of k-mer frequencies, the genome size of this strain was estimated to be 63.84 Mb (1.14% heterozygosity). Based on de novo genome assembly, the final genome size was determined to be 76.7 Mb, with scaffold N50 of 223.2 kb and N90 of 54.5 kb, and a GC content of 54.38%. BUSCO assessment showed that genome completeness was 89.0%. The N50 length of the JH5 genome was 43.6% longer than that of the previously published L. hatsudake MG20 genome. This high-quality L. hatsudake genome assembly will facilitate research on the functional genome, molecular breeding, yield enhancement, and sustainability of L. hatsudake cultivation.