Glutathione peroxidase gene regulates substrate development and prevents strain aging in Volvariella volvacea.

Degradation of Volvariella volvacea is associated with the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) is one of the key antioxidant enzyme. The purpose of this research is to uncover the importance of the gpx gene in the degradation and revitalization of V. volvacea. In this study, a gpx-silenced strain of the primordial strain T0 and an overexpression strain of the degraded strain T19 of V. volvacea were constructed, and their antioxidant properties, matrix degradation ability, and production traits were determined. The results showed that the expression level of gpx altered the homeostasis of the V. volvacea redox system and affected the substrate degradation ability of V. volvacea, which altered the physiological traits of the V. volvacea mycelium. Most importantly, the primordial strain T0 was unable to produce fruiting bodies due to the silence of the gpx gene. On the other hand, the gpx gene overexpression promoted the regrowth of fruiting bodies in degenerated strains of V. volvacea T19. This study provides a new biotechnological strategy to control the degeneration of V. volvacea and other edible fungi.