AUTHOR=Zhang Xiaorui , Lv Hongyang , Tian Maoying , Dong Zhaowei , Fu Qinwen , Sun Jilin , Huang Qinwan , Wang Jin 

TITLE=Colonization characteristics of fungi in Polygonum hydropipe L. and Polygonum lapathifolium L. and its effect on the content of active ingredients

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.984483

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.984483

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Polygonum hydropiper</italic>, is a plant of the Persicaria genus, which is commonly used to treat various diseases, including gastrointestinal disorders, neurological disorders, inflammation, and diarrhea. However, because of different local standards of <italic>P. hydropiper</italic>, people often confuse it with <italic>Polygonum lapathifolium</italic> L. and other closely related plants. This poses a serious threat to the safety and efficacy of the clinical use of <italic>P. hydropiper</italic>. This study aims to determine the six active ingredients of <italic>P. hydropiper</italic> and <italic>P. lapathifolium</italic>. Then the endophytic fungi and rhizosphere soil of the two species were sequenced by Illumina Miseq PE300. The results show significant differences between the community composition of the leaves, stems, and roots of the <italic>P. hydropiper</italic> and the <italic>P. lapathifolium</italic> in the same soil environment. Of the six secondary metabolites detected, five had significant differences between <italic>P. hydropiper</italic> and <italic>P. lapathifolium</italic>. Then, we evaluated the composition of the significantly different communities between <italic>P. hydropiper</italic> and <italic>P. lapathifolium</italic>. In the <italic>P. hydropiper</italic>, the relative abundance of differential communities in the leaves was highest, of which <italic>Cercospora</italic> dominated the differential communities in the leaves and stem; in the <italic>P. lapathifolium</italic>, the relative abundance of differential community in the stem was highest, and <italic>Cladosporium</italic> dominated the differential communities in the three compartments. By constructing the interaction network of <italic>P. hydropiper</italic> and <italic>P. lapathifolium</italic> and analyzing the network nodes, we found that the core community in <italic>P. hydropiper</italic> accounted for 87.59% of the total community, dominated by <italic>Cercospora</italic>; the core community of <italic>P. lapathifolium</italic> accounted for 19.81% of the total community, dominated by <italic>Sarocladium</italic>. Of these core communities, 23 were significantly associated with active ingredient content. Therefore, we believe that the community from <italic>Cercospora</italic> significantly interferes with recruiting fungal communities in <italic>P. hydropiper</italic> and affects the accumulation of secondary metabolites in the host plant. These results provide an essential foundation for the large-scale production of <italic>P. hydropiper</italic>. They indicate that by colonizing specific fungal communities, secondary metabolic characteristics of host plants can be helped to be shaped, which is an essential means for developing new medicinal plants.</p>