- Email: [email protected]
From taxonomy and industry to genetics: Fungal Biology in China
Fungal Genetics and Biology xxx (2015) xxx–xxx
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Fungal Genetics and Biology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/yfgbi
Editorial
From taxonomy and industry to genetics: Fungal Biology in China In China, the public knows the term fungus very well from the daily diet of mushrooms and soy sauces, and the highly-prized caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) heavily advertised in the media. Indeed, China has the largest mushroom industry in the world, including the mass-production of more than fifty mushroom species from the button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), shiitake (Lentinula edodes), and enokitake (Flammulina velutipes) to the medicinal mushrooms Ganoderma spp. and Cordyceps spp., etc. (Chang, 2006). Fermented foods (e.g. the soy sauces) and teas (e.g. the Puerh tea and brick teas) are also enormous industries in China, involving the use of filamentous fungi like Aspergillus spp. Touted as the national flagship fungus of China (Zhang et al., 2012a) and as ‘‘Himalayan Viagra’’ (Stone, 2008), O. sinensis has a highly repetitive genome and many biological secrets (Hu et al., 2013), thus it has proved problematic to cultivate artificially. These secrets are the main reasons why this fungus-insect complex is well known in China and, beyond that, has a very high market price. Until recently, a handful of dedicated scientists after training abroad formed groups doing basic research in China using the model fungi like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Neurospora crassa, and Aspergillus nidulans (e.g., Zhong et al., 2012; Zhou et al., 2013). The well-trained scientists are also using model mammalian pathogens including Candida albicans, A. fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans, and plant pathogens such as Magnaporthe oryzae and Fusarium graminearum for molecular infection studies (e.g., Zhang et al., 2011, 2012b; Wang et al., 2011; Zhou et al., 2013; Xie et al., 2013; Tao et al., 2014). In the early years, fungal research in China mainly focused on the classical taxonomy and systematics of different lineages of fungi. Nowadays, a large community of scientists in China is still involved in taxonomic studies of fungi but using modern molecular approaches with phylogenetic, phylogenomic and even population genetics data (e.g., Wang et al., 2009). To corroborate the mushroom and fermented-food industries, breeding and applied biology studies are widely performed and supported to benefit the technical improvements for cost-effective mass-productions of fungi in China (e.g., Zhou et al., 2012; Xu et al., 2011). Otherwise, Chinese fungal biology research has been boosted by the wide application of the next generation of sequencing techniques, i.e., the genomics studies of different fungi. A wide range of fungi including mushrooms (e.g., Zheng et al., 2011; Chen et al., 2012; Bao et al., 2013), pathogenic fungi of plants (Zheng et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2014; Que et al., 2014), of insects (Gao et al., 2011; Xiao et al., 2012; Hu et al., 2014), of nematodes (Yang et al., 2011; Lai et al., 2014) and the plant endophytes (e.g. Wang et al., 2015a) were sequenced by Chinese mycologists. It is encouraging to see that, along with the acquisitions of these genome data, Chinese scientists are developing these non-model
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.06.004 1087-1845/Ó 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
fungi into models for molecular genetic studies of fungal development, fungus-environmental interactions, and secondary metabolism (e.g. Wang et al., 2012; Xu et al., 2014). Regarding the funding support for fungal biology research in China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is the most favorable agency for the free-application for competitive grant support. In particular, NSFC has a preferential policy to support the research on biological classifications, including fungal taxonomy and systematics. Otherwise, there are at least six National Basic Research Programs (ca. $5 million per grant for a five-year period), i.e., the so-called 973 Program coordinated by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST), that have supported or are supporting basic research involving plant pathogens, mushrooms, human pathogens, mycotoxic fungi, insect- and nematode-biocontrol fungi, as well as the bioenergy-related fungi in last ten years. In particular, the State Key Laboratory of Mycology was founded in 2011 at the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Lab is competitively supported by the MOST with a stable annual funding input of ca. $1.2 million. These programs are the essential driving-forces to promote fungal research in China, as well as the training of students and young scholars. We highly appreciate Prof. Nancy Keller, the Editor-in-Chief of this journal, for her enthusiastic help in arranging this special issue after her discussion with us in 2013. Here we highlight new and emerging mycological studies in China. Through free submissions and thorough peer review processes, this issue mostly includes the clinical identification, and mechanistic studies of developmental control, drug resistance, and molecular pathogenesis of human pathogens A. fumigatus (Cai et al., 2015; Liu et al., 2015a; Zhang et al., 2015a) and C. albicans (Guan et al., 2015; Chang et al., 2015; Yu et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2015b). In addition, there are some papers illustrating the mechanism and regulation of fungal secondary metabolisms (Bai et al., 2015; Chen et al., 2015; Liu et al., 2015b; Shi et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2015b; Yan et al., 2015), and gene functions involved in stress responses (Li et al., 2015) and virulence against invertebrates (Liang et al., 2015). The papers published in this special issue also include the topics of protein family evolution (Zhao et al., 2015), and fungal population genetic structure and divergence (Shu et al., 2015). The interested reader can refer to these papers for detailed stories. In general, Chinese mycologists are becoming more active than ever in terms of both their national and international research activities via communication and collaborations. However, more effort is still required from the Chinese mycological community to learn how to perform innovative research in a better way to produce more novel and creative works.
2
Editorial / Fungal Genetics and Biology xxx (2015) xxx–xxx
References Bai, Y., Lan, F., Yang, W., Zhang, F., Yang, K., Li, Z., Gao, P., Wang, S., 2015. sRNA profiling in Aspergillus flavus reveals differentially expressed miRNA-like RNAs response to water activity and temperature. Fungal Genet. Biol. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.03.004. Bao, D., Gong, M., Zheng, H., Chen, M., Zhang, L., Wang, H., Jiang, J., Wu, L., Zhu, Y., Zhu, G., et al, 2013. Sequencing and comparative analysis of the straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) genome. PLoS One 8, e58294. Cai, Z.D., Chai, Y.F., Zhang, C.Y., Qiao, W.R., Lu, L., 2015. The Gb-like protein CpcB is required for hyphal growth, conidiophore morphology and pathogenicity in Aspergillus fumigatus. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.fgb.2015.04.007. Chang, P., Fan, X., Chen, J., 2015. Function and subcellular localization of Gcn5, a histone acetyltransferase in Candida albicans. Fungal Genet. Biol. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.01.011. Chang, S.T., 2006. The World mushroom industry: trends and technological development. Int. J. Med. Mushrooms 8 (4), 297–314. Chen, S., Xu, J., Liu, C., Zhu, Y., Nelson, D.R., Zhou, S., Li, C., Wang, L., Guo, X., Sun, Y., et al, 2012. Genome sequence of the model medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum. Nat. Commun. 3, 913. Chen, Y., Feng, P., Shang, Y., Xu, Y.J., Wang, C.S., 2015. Biosynthesis of non-melanin pigment by a divergent polyketide synthase in Metarhizium robertsii. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2014.10.018. Gao, Q., Jin, K., Ying, S.H., Zhang, Y., Xiao, G., Shang, Y., Duan, Z., Hu, X., Xie, X.Q., Zhou, G., et al, 2011. Genome sequencing and comparative transcriptomics of the model entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and M. acridum. PLoS Genet. 7, e1001264. Guan, G., Wang, H., Liang, W., Cao, C., Tao, L., Naseem, S., Konopka, J.B., Wang, Y., Huang, G., 2015. The mitochondrial protein Mcu1 plays important roles in carbon source utilization, filamentation, and virulence in Candida albicans. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.01.006. Hu, X., Xiao, G., Zheng, P., Shang, Y., Su, Y., Zhang, X., Liu, X., Zhan, S., St Leger, R.J., Wang, C., 2014. Trajectory and genomic determinants of fungal-pathogen speciation and host adaptation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 111, 16796–16801. Hu, X., Zhang, Y.J., Xiao, G.H., Zheng, P., Xia, Y.L., Zhang, X.Y., St Leger, R.J., Liu, X.Z., Wang, C., 2013. Genome survey uncovers the secrets of sex and lifestyle in caterpillar fungus. Chinese Sci. Bull. 58, 2846–2854. Lai, Y.L., Liu, K.K., Zhang, X.Y., Zhang, X.L., Li, K., Wang, N.N., Shu, C., Wu, Y.P., Wang, C., Bushley, K.E., et al, 2014. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics analyses reveal divergent lifestyle features of nematode endoparasitic fungus Hirsutella minnesotensis. Genome Biol. Evol. 6, 3077–3093 Li, F., Shi, H.Q., Ying, S.H., Feng, M.G., 2015. Distinct contributions of one Fe- and two Cu/Zn-cofactored superoxide dismutases to antioxidation, UV tolerance and virulence of Beauveria bassiana. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.fgb.2014.09.006. Liang, L., Shen, R., Mo, Y., Yang, J., Ji, X., Zhang, K.Q., 2015. A proposed adhesin AoMad1 helps nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora recognizing host signals for life-style switching. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/j.fgb.2015.02.012. Liu, F.F., Pu, L., Zheng, Q.Q., Zhang, Y.W., Gao, R.S., Xu, X.S., Zhang, S.Z., Lu, L., 2015a. Calcium signaling mediates antifungal activity of triazole drugs in the Aspergilli. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2014.12.005. Liu, L., Zhang, J., Chen, C., Teng, J., Wang, C.S., Luo, D., 2015b. Structure and biosynthesis of fumosorinone, a new protein phosphatase 1B inhibitor firstly isolated from the entomogenous fungus Isaria fumosorosea. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.03.009. Que, Y., Xu, L., Wu, Q., Liu, Y., Ling, H., Liu, Y., Zhang, Y., Guo, J., Su, Y., Chen, J., et al, 2014. Genome sequencing of Sporisorium scitamineum provides insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of sugarcane smut. BMC Genomics 15, 996 Shi, L., Gong, L., Zhang, X., Ren, A., Gao, T., Zhao, M., 2015. The regulation of methyl jasmonate on hyphal branching and GA biosynthesis in Ganoderma lucidum partly via ROS generated by NADPH oxidase. Fungal Genet. Biol. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2014.12.002. Shu, C., Jiang, X., Cheng, X., Wang, N., Chen, S., Xiang, M., Liu, X., 2015. Genetic structure and parasitization-related ability divergence of a nematode fungal pathogen Hirsutella minnesotensis following founder effect in China. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.02.005. Stone, R., 2008. Mycology. Last stand for the body snatcher of the Himalayas? Science 322, 1182 Tao, L., Du, H., Guan, G., Dai, Y., Nobile, C.J., Liang, W., Cao, C., Zhang, Q., Zhong, J., Huang, G., 2014. Discovery of a ‘‘white-gray-opaque’’ tristable phenotypic switching system in Candida albicans: roles of non-genetic diversity in host adaptation PLoS Biol. 12, e1001830. Wang, B., Kang, Q., Lu, Y., Bai, L., Wang, C., 2012. Unveiling the biosynthetic puzzle of destruxins in Metarhizium species. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 109, 1287–1292. Wang, C., Zhang, S., Hou, R., Zhao, Z., Zheng, Q., Xu, Q., Zheng, D., Wang, G., Liu, H., Gao, X., et al, 2011. Functional analysis of the kinome of the wheat scab fungus Fusarium graminearum. PLoS Pathog. 7, e1002460. Wang, H., Xu, Z., Gao, L., Hao, B., 2009. A fungal phylogeny based on 82 complete genomes using the composition vector method. BMC Evol. Biol. 9, 195. Wang, X.N., Zhang, X., Liu, L., Xiang, M., Wang, W., Sun, X., Che, Y., Guo, L., Liu, G., Guo, L.D., et al, 2015a. Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of the endophytic
fungus Pestalotiopsis fici reveals its lifestyle and high potential for synthesis of natural products. BMC Genomics 16, 28. Wang, X., Wu, F., Liu, L., Liu, X., Che, Y., Keller, N.P., Guo, L., Yin, W.B., 2015b. The bZIP transcription factor PfZipA regulates secondary metabolism and oxidative stress response in the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.03.010. Xiao, G.H., Ying, S.-H., Zheng, P., Zhang, S.W., Xie, X.-Q., Shang, Y.F., St. Leger, R.J., Zhao, G.-P., Wang, C.S., Feng, M.-G., 2012. Genomic perspectives on the evolution of fungal entomopathogenicity in Beauveria bassiana. Sci. Rep. 2, 483. Xie, J., Tao, L., Nobile, C.J., Tong, Y., Guan, G., Sun, Y., Cao, C., Hernday, A.D., Johnson, A.D., Zhang, L., et al, 2013. White-opaque switching in natural MTLa/a isolates of Candida albicans: evolutionary implications for roles in host adaptation, pathogenesis, and sex. PLoS Biol. 11, e1001525. Xu, D., Pan, L., Zhao, H., Zhao, M., Sun, J., Liu, D., 2011. Breeding and identification of novel koji molds with high activity of acid protease by genome recombination between Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger. J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 38, 1255–1265. Xu, X., Liu, L., Zhang, F., Wang, W., Li, J., Guo, L., Che, Y., Liu, G., 2014. Identification of the first diphenyl ether gene cluster for pestheic acid biosynthesis in plant endophyte Pestalotiopsis fici. Chembiochem 15, 284–292. Yan, S., Liang, Y., Zhang, J., Chen, Z., Liu, C., 2015. Autoxidated linolenic acid inhibits aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus via oxylipin species. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2014.11.005. Yang, J., Wang, L., Ji, X., Feng, Y., Li, X., Zou, C., Xu, J., Ren, Y., Mi, Q., Wu, J., et al, 2011. Genomic and proteomic analyses of the fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora provide insights into nematode-trap formation. PLoS Pathog. 7, e1002179. Yu, Q., Jia, C., Dong, Y., Zhang, B., Xiao, C., Chen, Y., Wang, Y., Li, X., Wang, L., Zhang, B., Li, M., 2015. Candida albicans autophagy, no longer a bystander: its role in tolerance to ER stress-related antifungal drugs. Fungal Genet. Biol. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.02.008. Zhang, H., Tang, W., Liu, K., Huang, Q., Zhang, X., Yan, X., Chen, Y., Wang, J., Qi, Z., Wang, Z., et al, 2011. Eight RGS and RGS-like proteins orchestrate growth, differentiation, and pathogenicity of Magnaporthe oryzae. PLoS Pathog. 7, e1002450. Zhang, Y.J., Li, E.W., Wang, C.S., Li, Y.L., Liu, X.Z., 2012a. Ophiocordyceps sinensis, the flagship fungus of China: terminology, life strategy and ecology. Mycology 3, 2– 10. Zhang, X.W., Jia, L.J., Zhang, Y., Jiang, G., Li, X., Zhang, D., Tang, W.H., 2012b. In planta stage-specific fungal gene profiling elucidates the molecular strategies of Fusarium graminearum growing inside wheat coleoptiles. Plant Cell 24, 5159– 5176. Zhang, Y., Zhang, K., Fang, A., Han, Y., Yang, J., Xue, M., Bao, J., Hu, D., Zhou, B., Sun, X., et al, 2014. Specific adaptation of Ustilaginoidea virens in occupying host florets revealed by comparative and functional genomics. Nat. Commun. 5, 3849. Zhang, C., Kong, Q., Cai, Z., Liu, F., Chen, P., Song, J., Lu, L., Sang, H., 2015a. The newly nonsporulated characterization of an Aspergillus fumigatus isolate from an immunocompetent patient and its clinic indication. Fungal Genet. Biol. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.03.001. Zhang, B., Yu, Q., Jia, C., Wang, Y., Xiao, C., Dong, Y., Xu, N., Wang, L., Li, M., 2015b. The actin-related protein Sac1 is required for morphogenesis and cell wall integrity in Candida albicans. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.fgb.2014.12.007. Zhao, Y., Su, H., Zhou, J., Feng, H., Zhang, K.Q., Yang, J., 2015. The APSES family proteins in fungi: characterizations, evolution and functions. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2014.12.003. Zheng, P., Xia, Y.L., Xiao, G.H., Xiong, C.H., Zhang, S.W., Zheng, H.J., Huang, Y., Zhou, Y., Wang, S.Y., Zhao, G.-P., et al, 2011. Genome sequence of the insect pathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris, a valued traditional Chinese medicine. Genome Biol. 12, R116. Zheng, W., Huang, L., Huang, J., Wang, X., Chen, X., Zhao, J., Guo, J., Zhuang, H., Qiu, C., Liu, J., et al, 2013. High genome heterozygosity and endemic genetic recombination in the wheat stripe rust fungus. Nat. Commun. 4, 2673. Zhong, G., Wei, W., Guan, Q., Ma, Z., Wei, H., Xu, X., Zhang, S., Lu, L., 2012. Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase, as a suppressor of the sepH mutation in Aspergillus nidulans, is required for the proper timing of septation. Mol. Microbiol. 86, 894–907. Zhou, X.W., Su, K.Q., Zhang, Y.M., 2012. Applied modern biotechnology for cultivation of Ganoderma and development of their products. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 93, 941–963. Zhou, Z., Liu, X., Hu, Q., Zhang, N., Sun, G., Cha, J., Wang, Y., Liu, Y., He, Q., 2013. Suppression of WC-independent frequency transcription by RCO-1 is essential for Neurospora circadian clock. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 110, E4867–E4874.
Chengshu Wang Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China E-mail address: [email protected]
Editorial / Fungal Genetics and Biology xxx (2015) xxx–xxx
Ling Lu Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China E-mail address: [email protected] Wen-Bing Yin State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China E-mail address: [email protected]
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Ke-Qin Zhang Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, and the Key Laboratory for Southwest Microbial Diversity of the Ministry of Education, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China E-mail address: [email protected] Available online xxxx
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Fungal Genetics and Biology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/yfgbi
Editorial
From taxonomy and industry to genetics: Fungal Biology in China In China, the public knows the term fungus very well from the daily diet of mushrooms and soy sauces, and the highly-prized caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) heavily advertised in the media. Indeed, China has the largest mushroom industry in the world, including the mass-production of more than fifty mushroom species from the button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), shiitake (Lentinula edodes), and enokitake (Flammulina velutipes) to the medicinal mushrooms Ganoderma spp. and Cordyceps spp., etc. (Chang, 2006). Fermented foods (e.g. the soy sauces) and teas (e.g. the Puerh tea and brick teas) are also enormous industries in China, involving the use of filamentous fungi like Aspergillus spp. Touted as the national flagship fungus of China (Zhang et al., 2012a) and as ‘‘Himalayan Viagra’’ (Stone, 2008), O. sinensis has a highly repetitive genome and many biological secrets (Hu et al., 2013), thus it has proved problematic to cultivate artificially. These secrets are the main reasons why this fungus-insect complex is well known in China and, beyond that, has a very high market price. Until recently, a handful of dedicated scientists after training abroad formed groups doing basic research in China using the model fungi like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Neurospora crassa, and Aspergillus nidulans (e.g., Zhong et al., 2012; Zhou et al., 2013). The well-trained scientists are also using model mammalian pathogens including Candida albicans, A. fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans, and plant pathogens such as Magnaporthe oryzae and Fusarium graminearum for molecular infection studies (e.g., Zhang et al., 2011, 2012b; Wang et al., 2011; Zhou et al., 2013; Xie et al., 2013; Tao et al., 2014). In the early years, fungal research in China mainly focused on the classical taxonomy and systematics of different lineages of fungi. Nowadays, a large community of scientists in China is still involved in taxonomic studies of fungi but using modern molecular approaches with phylogenetic, phylogenomic and even population genetics data (e.g., Wang et al., 2009). To corroborate the mushroom and fermented-food industries, breeding and applied biology studies are widely performed and supported to benefit the technical improvements for cost-effective mass-productions of fungi in China (e.g., Zhou et al., 2012; Xu et al., 2011). Otherwise, Chinese fungal biology research has been boosted by the wide application of the next generation of sequencing techniques, i.e., the genomics studies of different fungi. A wide range of fungi including mushrooms (e.g., Zheng et al., 2011; Chen et al., 2012; Bao et al., 2013), pathogenic fungi of plants (Zheng et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2014; Que et al., 2014), of insects (Gao et al., 2011; Xiao et al., 2012; Hu et al., 2014), of nematodes (Yang et al., 2011; Lai et al., 2014) and the plant endophytes (e.g. Wang et al., 2015a) were sequenced by Chinese mycologists. It is encouraging to see that, along with the acquisitions of these genome data, Chinese scientists are developing these non-model
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.06.004 1087-1845/Ó 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
fungi into models for molecular genetic studies of fungal development, fungus-environmental interactions, and secondary metabolism (e.g. Wang et al., 2012; Xu et al., 2014). Regarding the funding support for fungal biology research in China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is the most favorable agency for the free-application for competitive grant support. In particular, NSFC has a preferential policy to support the research on biological classifications, including fungal taxonomy and systematics. Otherwise, there are at least six National Basic Research Programs (ca. $5 million per grant for a five-year period), i.e., the so-called 973 Program coordinated by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST), that have supported or are supporting basic research involving plant pathogens, mushrooms, human pathogens, mycotoxic fungi, insect- and nematode-biocontrol fungi, as well as the bioenergy-related fungi in last ten years. In particular, the State Key Laboratory of Mycology was founded in 2011 at the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Lab is competitively supported by the MOST with a stable annual funding input of ca. $1.2 million. These programs are the essential driving-forces to promote fungal research in China, as well as the training of students and young scholars. We highly appreciate Prof. Nancy Keller, the Editor-in-Chief of this journal, for her enthusiastic help in arranging this special issue after her discussion with us in 2013. Here we highlight new and emerging mycological studies in China. Through free submissions and thorough peer review processes, this issue mostly includes the clinical identification, and mechanistic studies of developmental control, drug resistance, and molecular pathogenesis of human pathogens A. fumigatus (Cai et al., 2015; Liu et al., 2015a; Zhang et al., 2015a) and C. albicans (Guan et al., 2015; Chang et al., 2015; Yu et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2015b). In addition, there are some papers illustrating the mechanism and regulation of fungal secondary metabolisms (Bai et al., 2015; Chen et al., 2015; Liu et al., 2015b; Shi et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2015b; Yan et al., 2015), and gene functions involved in stress responses (Li et al., 2015) and virulence against invertebrates (Liang et al., 2015). The papers published in this special issue also include the topics of protein family evolution (Zhao et al., 2015), and fungal population genetic structure and divergence (Shu et al., 2015). The interested reader can refer to these papers for detailed stories. In general, Chinese mycologists are becoming more active than ever in terms of both their national and international research activities via communication and collaborations. However, more effort is still required from the Chinese mycological community to learn how to perform innovative research in a better way to produce more novel and creative works.
2
Editorial / Fungal Genetics and Biology xxx (2015) xxx–xxx
References Bai, Y., Lan, F., Yang, W., Zhang, F., Yang, K., Li, Z., Gao, P., Wang, S., 2015. sRNA profiling in Aspergillus flavus reveals differentially expressed miRNA-like RNAs response to water activity and temperature. Fungal Genet. Biol. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.03.004. Bao, D., Gong, M., Zheng, H., Chen, M., Zhang, L., Wang, H., Jiang, J., Wu, L., Zhu, Y., Zhu, G., et al, 2013. Sequencing and comparative analysis of the straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) genome. PLoS One 8, e58294. Cai, Z.D., Chai, Y.F., Zhang, C.Y., Qiao, W.R., Lu, L., 2015. The Gb-like protein CpcB is required for hyphal growth, conidiophore morphology and pathogenicity in Aspergillus fumigatus. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.fgb.2015.04.007. Chang, P., Fan, X., Chen, J., 2015. Function and subcellular localization of Gcn5, a histone acetyltransferase in Candida albicans. Fungal Genet. Biol. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.01.011. Chang, S.T., 2006. The World mushroom industry: trends and technological development. Int. J. Med. Mushrooms 8 (4), 297–314. Chen, S., Xu, J., Liu, C., Zhu, Y., Nelson, D.R., Zhou, S., Li, C., Wang, L., Guo, X., Sun, Y., et al, 2012. Genome sequence of the model medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum. Nat. Commun. 3, 913. Chen, Y., Feng, P., Shang, Y., Xu, Y.J., Wang, C.S., 2015. Biosynthesis of non-melanin pigment by a divergent polyketide synthase in Metarhizium robertsii. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2014.10.018. Gao, Q., Jin, K., Ying, S.H., Zhang, Y., Xiao, G., Shang, Y., Duan, Z., Hu, X., Xie, X.Q., Zhou, G., et al, 2011. Genome sequencing and comparative transcriptomics of the model entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and M. acridum. PLoS Genet. 7, e1001264. Guan, G., Wang, H., Liang, W., Cao, C., Tao, L., Naseem, S., Konopka, J.B., Wang, Y., Huang, G., 2015. The mitochondrial protein Mcu1 plays important roles in carbon source utilization, filamentation, and virulence in Candida albicans. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.01.006. Hu, X., Xiao, G., Zheng, P., Shang, Y., Su, Y., Zhang, X., Liu, X., Zhan, S., St Leger, R.J., Wang, C., 2014. Trajectory and genomic determinants of fungal-pathogen speciation and host adaptation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 111, 16796–16801. Hu, X., Zhang, Y.J., Xiao, G.H., Zheng, P., Xia, Y.L., Zhang, X.Y., St Leger, R.J., Liu, X.Z., Wang, C., 2013. Genome survey uncovers the secrets of sex and lifestyle in caterpillar fungus. Chinese Sci. Bull. 58, 2846–2854. Lai, Y.L., Liu, K.K., Zhang, X.Y., Zhang, X.L., Li, K., Wang, N.N., Shu, C., Wu, Y.P., Wang, C., Bushley, K.E., et al, 2014. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics analyses reveal divergent lifestyle features of nematode endoparasitic fungus Hirsutella minnesotensis. Genome Biol. Evol. 6, 3077–3093 Li, F., Shi, H.Q., Ying, S.H., Feng, M.G., 2015. Distinct contributions of one Fe- and two Cu/Zn-cofactored superoxide dismutases to antioxidation, UV tolerance and virulence of Beauveria bassiana. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.fgb.2014.09.006. Liang, L., Shen, R., Mo, Y., Yang, J., Ji, X., Zhang, K.Q., 2015. A proposed adhesin AoMad1 helps nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora recognizing host signals for life-style switching. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/j.fgb.2015.02.012. Liu, F.F., Pu, L., Zheng, Q.Q., Zhang, Y.W., Gao, R.S., Xu, X.S., Zhang, S.Z., Lu, L., 2015a. Calcium signaling mediates antifungal activity of triazole drugs in the Aspergilli. Fungal Genet. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2014.12.005. Liu, L., Zhang, J., Chen, C., Teng, J., Wang, C.S., Luo, D., 2015b. 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Chengshu Wang Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China E-mail address: [email protected]
Editorial / Fungal Genetics and Biology xxx (2015) xxx–xxx
Ling Lu Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China E-mail address: [email protected] Wen-Bing Yin State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China E-mail address: [email protected]
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Ke-Qin Zhang Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, and the Key Laboratory for Southwest Microbial Diversity of the Ministry of Education, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China E-mail address: [email protected] Available online xxxx