Dahui Liu

Comparative Phylogenomics Reveals Conserved Protoilludene Synthase Neighbourhoods and Unevenly Distributed Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Families in Armillaria

Fungal biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) offer a genomic entry point for natural-product discovery, but predicted regions alone neither establish pathway activity nor identify metabolites. Armillaria is a useful model because chemically rich, forest-associated species span pathogenic and saprotrophic lifestyles. We analysed nine assemblies in a role-aware design: seven independent taxa with high completeness assessed using Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO), an A. mellea BUSCO duplication-sensitivity sample and an A. solidipes intraspecific strain control for A. ostoyae. The analysis resolved a terpene-rich repertoire containing a shared but edge-robust gene cluster family (GCF) component alongside unevenly distributed candidate families. Targeted neighbourhood analysis recovered protoilludene synthase (PRO1) orthologs in all assemblies (92.2–100.0% amino-acid identity); the core neighbourhood was retained across the seven primary taxa, whereas flanking tailoring-associated genes varied. Notably, the A. gallica PRO1 ortholog lay 23,614 bp outside the nearest antiSMASH region. Thus, whole-region prediction can obscure pathway-centred conservation in basidiomycetes. The resulting framework prioritises reproducible candidates while reserving chemical identity, expression and ecological function for direct validation.

Armillaria mellea sensu lato and related Armillaria species at the crossroads of taxonomy, ecology, and biotechnology: a multi-dimensional review

Controlled release network hydrogel based on zein/sodium alginate-stabilized chrysanthemum essential oil Pickering emulsions for prolonged preservation of fresh-cut Gastrodia elata.

Browning and microbial proliferation are major factors driving quality deterioration in fresh-cut Gastrodia elata. This study developed a zein/sodium alginate-stabilized chrysanthemum essential oil (CEO) Pickering emulsion and incorporated it into gelatin-konjac glucomannan hydrogels for fresh-cut G. elata preservation. The emulsion exhibited nanoscale droplets (194.53-515.00 nm) with exceptional stability (zeta potential: -82.85 to -95.92 mV), confirming effective encapsulation of CEO. The optimized hydrogel (GK-8%) formed a dense network with uniform pore structure, demonstrating superior water retention and sustained release properties, achieving 73.30% CEO release over 390 h. Application tests revealed that GK-8% significantly reduced weight loss (≤ 0.15%) and browning index (26.72% reduction), maintained firmness and total phenolic content, while decreasing antioxidant enzyme activities, indicating reduced oxidative stress. Visual observations showed that GK-8% treatment delayed visible browning by approximately 3 days compared to the control. The hydrogel extended shelf life through synergistic effects of microbial inhibition and oxidative stress alleviation, providing an effective, eco-friendly strategy for fresh-cut product preservation.