AUTHOR=Wu Xiuyun , Wu Tao , Huang Ailin , Shen Yuanyuan , Zhang Xuanyu , Song Wenjun , Wang Suying , Ruan Haihua TITLE=New Insights Into the Biosynthesis of Typical Bioactive Components in the Traditional Chinese Medicinal Fungus Cordyceps militaris JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology VOLUME=9 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2021.801721 DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2021.801721 ISSN=2296-4185 ABSTRACT=

Cordyceps militaris, a traditional medicinal ingredient with a long history of application in China, is regarded as a high-value fungus due to its production of various bioactive ingredients with a wide range of pharmacological effects in clinical treatment. Several typical bioactive ingredients, such as cordycepin, D-mannitol, cordyceps polysaccharides, and N6-(2-hydroxyethyl)-adenosine (HEA), have received increasing attention due to their antitumor, antioxidant, antidiabetic, radioprotective, antiviral and immunomodulatory activities. Here, we systematically sorted out the latest research progress on the chemical characteristics, biosynthetic gene clusters and pathways of these four typical bioactive ingredients. This summary will lay a foundation for obtaining low-cost and high-quality bioactive ingredients in large amounts using microbial cell factories in the future.