Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Candidate Genes Involved in Fruiting Body Development in the culinary-medicinal Mushroom Pleurotus tuber-regium.

Pleurotus tuber-regium is a rare edible and medicinal sclerotium producing mushroom with high nutritional and medicinal benefits. The fruiting bodies of P. tuber-regium exhibit various medicinal properties such as antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities. However, the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying its growth and development at the transcriptional level have not been thoroughly investigated. To better understand the molecular mechanisms of fruiting body development in P. tuber-regium, the transcriptomic analysis was performed at five different developmental stages using RNA sequencing: Mycelium (DMS), Primordium (Pri), Differentiation (Dif), Young fruiting body (SFB), Mature fruiting body (FB). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified among different evaluation stage: 3,707, 824, 1,317 and 1,743 DEGs were detected between Pri versus DMS, Dif versus Pri, SFB versus Dif, and FB versus SFB, respectively. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the transition from vegetative mycelium to primordium is the most complex and critical step in the fruiting body development of P. tuber-regium. In addition, the DEGs related to vegetative mycelium growth, aerial mycelium growth, and fruiting body maturation were discussed, such as DEGs encoding glutaredoxin, hydrophobin, and aquaporin. The data from this study provide references for gaining insight into the molecular mechanisms of fruiting body development in P. tuber-regium.