Yield increment and transcriptome response caused by blue light treatment in Hericium coralloides.

BACKGROUND

Hericium coralloides is a traditional edible and medicinal mushroom. Light is a key factor in forming fruiting bodies of fungi; however, the effects of different light on the yield and morphogenesis of H. coralloides are still unknown. Therefore, the morphology, yield, and transcriptome of H. coralloides under blue, red, and white light conditions were investigated.

RESULT

Fruiting bodies under blue light exhibited superior morphological traits, such as milky white color, larger size, elongated stalks, and higher spine count, leading to higher yields. Different light treatments led to dramatic transcriptome changes ranging from 10,827 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by blue light in Blue-4d to 11,375 DEGs induced by red light in Red-4d and accounted for 64.56% to 67.81% of all expressed genes. This massive amount of light-responsive genes has never been reported in fungi. Gene Ontology analysis showed that light affected nearly all aspects of life in H. coralloides; suggesting that the influence of light on fungi may have been underestimated. Blue light-induced yield increment may be achieved by specifically upregulating the growth-related processes such as DNA replication, chromosomes, and cell division.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers preliminary insights into the potential role of blue light in modulating gene expression and yield stimulation in H. coralloides, potentially improving cultivation practice.