Integrated metagenomics and metabolomics reveal the dynamic mechanism in the rhizosphere soil of Morus alba L. and Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr. with Inonotus hispidus
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Inonotus hispidus is a medicinal fungus that grows on Morus alba L., Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr., and Ziziphus jujuba Mill. However, there have been no reports on the comparative study of microbial diversity and metabolites in the rhizosphere soil of different tree species, specifically M. alba and F. mandshurica , growing with I. hispidus . Therefore, this study conducts a multi-omics joint analysis utilizing metagenomics and metabolomics to explore the differences in the synergistic mechanisms between different hosts of I. hispidus . Using metagenomics technology, a total of 177 phyla and 2,651 genera were identified as significantly different. At both the phylum and genus levels, Actinomycetota and Pseudomonadota as well as Solirubrobacter and Bradyrhizobium emerged as the predominant phyla and genera, respectively. In the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolisms were identified as the primary metabolic pathways. Differential analysis of these metabolic pathways revealed that glucokinase and pyruvate kinase were downregulated. Additionally, metabolomics analysis identified 558 differential metabolites, with tyrosine metabolism being the foremost metabolic pathway involved. This pathway included five differential metabolites, among which salidroside, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylpropanoate, rosmarinate, and homovanillate were significantly upregulated in M. alba in association with I. hispidus . Furthermore, correlation analysis indicated that Enhydrobacter was positively correlated with 10 differential metabolites, while Gaiella , Haladaptatus , Jiangella , and Prauserella showed negative correlations. This study lays a solid foundation for elucidating the interactions between I. hispidus and its hosts, as well as for the effective utilization of I. hispidus resources across different tree species. IMPORTANCE Inonotus hispidus , which is traditionally recognized as the authentic source of the medicinal fungus, primarily grows on Morus alba L. It is commonly found in ancient regions along the Yellow River, including Linqing, Xiajin, and Wudi in Shandong, as well as Chengde in Hebei Province and Aksu in Xinjiang. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is known as “Sanghuang” and has a long history of medicinal use. In addition to M. alba , I. hispidus also grows on other broad-leaved species, such as Ulmus macrocarpa , Acer truncatum , and Fraxinus mandshurica . The lack of fundamental research on its multi-host and -source diversity has hindered its industrial development and medicinal value. Consequently, this study employs metagenomics and metabolomics to investigate the rhizosphere soil microbial diversity and differential metabolites associated with the different host plants of I. hispidus , specifically M. alba and F. mandshurica , with the aim of providing a reference for its resource conservation and development.
DOI: 10.1128/aem.01251-25
Authors: Qingchun Wang, Haiying Bao
Institution: Jilin Agricultural University
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4416072259