Pleurotus ostreatus is a widely cultivated edible fungus around the world. At present, studies on the developmental process of the fruiting body are limited. In our study, we compared the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the stipe and cap of the fruiting body by high-throughput proteomics. GO and pathway analysis revealed the great differences in the metabolic levels, including sucrose and starch metabolism, and sphingolipid signaling and metabolism, and the differences of 16 important DEPs were validated further by qPCR analysis in expression level. In order to control the cap and stipe development, several chemical inducers were applied to the primordium of the fruiting body according to the pathway enrichment results. We found that CaCl2 can affect the primordium differentiation through inhibiting the stipe development. EGTA (ethyleneglycol bis (β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid) treatment confirmed the inhibitory role of Ca2+ in the stipe development. Our study not only shows great metabolic differences during the cap and stipe development but also reveals the underlying mechanism directing the primordium differentiation in the early development of the fruiting body for the first time. Most importantly, we provide a reliable application strategy for the cultivation and improvement of the Pleurotus ostreatus, which can be an example and reference for a more edible fungus.
Keywords: Ca2+; Pleurotus ostreatus; fruiting body; metabolism; primordium differentiation; sphingolipid; stipe.