High Throughput Identification of the Potential Antioxidant Peptides in Ophiocordyceps sinensis

Ophiocordyceps sinensis, an ascomycete caterpillar fungus, has been used as a Traditional Chinese Medicine owing to its bioactive properties. However, until now the bio-active peptides have not been identified in this fungus. Here, the raw RNA sequences of three crucial growth stages of the artificially cultivated O. sinensis and the wild-grown mature fruit-body were aligned to the genome of O. sinensis. Both homology-based prediction and de novo-based prediction methods were used to identify 8541 putative antioxidant peptides (pAOPs). The expression profiles of the cultivated mature fruiting body were similar to those found in the wild specimens. The differential expression of 1008 pAOPs matched genes had the highest difference between ST and MF, suggesting that the pAOPs were primarily induced and play important roles in the process of the fruit-body maturation. Gene ontology analysis showed that most of pAOPs matched genes were enriched in terms of ‘cell redox homeostasis’, ‘response to oxidative stresses’, ‘catalase activity’, and ‘ integral component of cell membrane’. A total of 1655 pAOPs was identified in our protein-seqs, and some crucial pAOPs were selected, including catalase, peroxiredoxin, and SOD Cu–Zn]. Our findings offer the first identification of the active peptide ingredients in O. sinensis, facilitating the discovery of anti-infectious bio-activity and the understanding of the roles of AOPs in fungal pathogenicity and the high-altitude adaptation in this medicinal fungus.