Comparative Analysis of Agronomic Traits, Yield, and Effective Components of Main Cultivated Ganoderma Mushrooms (Agaricomycetes) in China.

To assess the strain resources and address production challenges in Ganoderma cultivation. 150 Ganoderma strains were collected from 13 provinces in China. A comparative analysis of agronomic traits and effective components was conducted. Among the 150 strains, key agronomic traits measured were: average stipe diameter (15.92 mm), average stipe length (37.46 mm), average cap horizontal diameter (94.97 mm), average cap vertical diameter (64.21 mm), average cap thickness (15.22 mm), and average fruiting body weight (14.30 g). Based on these agronomic traits, four promising strains, namely, L08, L12, Z21, and Z39, were recommended for further cultivation and breeding. The average crude polysaccharide content ranged from 0.048% to 0.977%, and triterpenoids ranged from 0.804% to 2.010%. In addition, 73 triterpenoid compounds were identified, constituting 47.1% of the total compounds. Using a distance discrimination method, the types, and relative contents of triterpenoid compounds in 150 Ganoderma strains were classified, achieving 98% accuracy in G. lingzhi identification. The 16 triterpenoid components used for G. lingzhi identification included oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, 3ß-acetoxyergosta-7,22-dien-5α-ol, ganoderic acid DM, ganoderiol B, ganorderol A, ganoderic acid GS-1, tsugaric acid A, ganoderic acid GS-2, ganoderenic acid D, ganoderic acid Mf, ganoderic acid A, ganoderic acid K, ganoderic acid V, ganoderic acid G, and leucocontextin J. This study provides valuable insights for exploring and utilizing Ganoderma resources and for the development of new varieties.

Population genetics provides insights into the important agronomic traits of Ganoderma cultivation varieties in China.

This study aimed to investigate the species diversity and genetic differentiation of the genome of the main cultivated strains of Ganoderma in China. Population genomics analysis was conducted based on 150 cultivated strains of Ganoderma collected nationwide. The results indicated that the main species currently cultivated in China were Ganoderma sichuanense and Ganoderma lucidum, with a minor proportion of Ganoderma sessile, Ganoderma weberianum, Ganoderma sinense, Ganoderma gibbosum and Ganoderma australe. A total of 336,506 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci were obtained through population evolution analysis. The Fst values were calculated using a 5-kb sliding window, which ranged from 0.11 to 0.74. This suggests varying degrees of genetic differentiation between populations and genetic exchange among varieties. On this basis, the genes related to the stipe length, cap color and branch phenotypes of Ganoderma were excavated, and the region with the top 1% ZFst value region was used as a candidate region. A total of 137, 270 and 222 candidate genes were identified in the aforementioned 3 phenotypes, respectively. Gene annotation revealed that genes associated with stipe length were mainly related to cell division and differentiation, including proteins such as Nse4 protein and DIM1 protein. The genes related to Ganoderma red color were mainly related to the metabolism of tryptophan and flavonoids. The genes related to the branch were mainly related to cytokinin synthesis, ABC transporter and cytochrome P450. This study provided 150 valuable genome resequencing data in assessing the diversity and genetic differentiation of Ganoderma and laid a foundation for agronomic trait analysis and the development of new varieties of Ganoderma.

Study on Characteristics of Triterpenoids and Hepatoprotective Effects of Fruit Body of Stout Camphor Mushroom, Taiwanofungus camphoratus (Agaricomycetes), Cultivated with Apple-Wood.

Taiwanofungus camphoratus is a parasite medicinal fungus with significant hepatoprotective activity that grows in Cinnamomum camphora, a class II protected tree species in Taiwan. Currently, commercial cultivation of T. camphoratus is limited by the resources of C. camphora. To broaden the range of substrates, this study investigated the feasibility of using apple-wood as a substrate for T. camphoratus cultivation and examined the content of fruit body triterpenoids and liver-protective activity as quality indicators. The triterpenoids were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and compared with T. camphoratus cultivated in C. camphora. The ICR mouse acute alcoholic liver injury model was used to explore the hepatoprotective effects of the apple-wood cultivated fungus. T. camphoratus grew on apple-wood medium within 7 months; a total of 62 fungal triterpenoid components were detected, including the seven characteristic triterpenoids. Only three were higher in T. camphoratus cultured on C. camphora. The medium-dose fungal extracts (150 mg/kg) produced significant protective effects against acute alcoholic liver injury in mice. These results indicate that apple-wood cultivation is a feasible method compared to C. camphora for commercial cultivation of T. camphoratus.

A Convenient One-Pot Route to Screw-Shaped [5]Azahelicenes via Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Multiple C-H Bond Activation.

A convenient rhodium(III)-catalyzed cascade reaction of 7-azaindoles and alkynes through multiple C-H bond activation for the synthesis of unique [5]azahelicenes has been developed. The optical property of these screw-shaped helicene derivatives could be further utilized in electronic devices to recognize mercury ions.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Hydrogen-Releasing ortho-Alkenylation of 7-Azaindoles.

An efficient rhodium-catalyzed dehydrogenative Heck-type reaction between N-aryl-substituted 7-azaindoles and various alkenes through a H2 -releasing process without the need of any oxidizing agent was developed. The novel methodology broadens the scope of metal-catalyzed hydrogen-releasing reactions to include rhodium catalysis.

One-pot construction of fused polycyclic heteroarenes involving 7-azaindoles and α,ß-unsaturated ketones.

A novel one-pot synthesis of π-conjugated polycyclic compounds, which could undergo further facile transformation to form complex polycyclic heteroarene compounds, has been realized between 7-azaindoles and α,ß-unsaturated ketones. This distinctive cascade process proceeds via a rhodium(iii)-catalyzed alkylation/copper-catalyzed radical annulation-aromatization pathway.

A unique annulation of 7-azaindoles with alkenyl esters to produce π-conjugated 7-azaindole derivatives.

Rhodium(iii)-catalyzed N-directed ortho C-H activation and subsequent roll-over C-H activation represents an important strategy to synthesize fused polycyclic compounds. Herein, the novel methodology broadens the scope of the coupling partner to alkenes, which working smoothly with 7-azaindoles has been proven to be an efficient and atom-economical strategy to access complex π-conjugated 7-azaindole derivatives.

Chemical Constituents of Plants from the Genus Eupatorium (1904-2014).

Eupatorium (family: Compositae), which comprises nearly 1200 species, is distributed throughout tropical America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Up to now, the reported constituents from the genus Eupatorium involve flavonoids, terpenoids, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, phenylpropanoids, quinonoids, essential oils, and some others, altogether more than 300 compounds. Studies have shown that Eupatorium and its active principles possess a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as cytotoxic, antifungal, insecticidal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antinociceptive activities. Currently, effective monomeric compounds or active parts have been screened for pharmacological activities from Eupatorium in vivo and in vitro. Increasing amount of data supports application and exploitation for new drug development.