A molecular genetic study on the fruiting-body formation of Cordyceps militaris.

In the fungal genus Cordyceps, the type species Cordyceps militaris produces bioactive ingredients and exhibits medicinal effects as a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), The fruiting bodies of C.militaris have now been mass-produced artificially and used as functional food and medicine in China. The unstable variation in forming fruiting body is however a key restrictive factor in industrial production. The genetic study on in vitro stromata formation of C. militaris has rarely been carried out. Here, we report the effects of genetic variation including the mating system on perithecial stromata formation of C. militaris. Monoconidial isolates which have both MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1(genotype MAT1-1/2) could produce stromata. While the isolates only have either MAT1-1-1 or MAT1-2-1 (genotype MAT1-1 or MAT1-2) failed to produce stromata. Despite obvious heterothallism, homothallism was occasionally observed in a few isolates of C. militaris. High genetic variation was observed amongst the different monoconidial isolates of C. militaris. The unstable variation or lose of fruiting body formation was found to be caused by the inner-species high genetic variation of C. militaris. These results also indicated that C. militaris sexually behaved as both heterothallic and homothallic and required two mating type compatible in the same culture in order to produce regular clubshaped perithecial stromata.