Transcriptomic Analysis of Different Growth Stages of Hymenopellis radicata (Changgenggu)

• •Stage-specific transcriptomic profiles: Reveal dynamic gene expression dynamics across four developmental stages (late primordial, young mushroom, harvest, and umbrella-opening stages) in three commercial strains of Hypochaeris radicata. • Conserved gene discovery: Identify six genes consistently expressed across all stages, suggesting key roles in fruiting body morphogenesis. • Metabolic hub pathways: Uncover central roles for glutathione metabolism, ribosome function, and sphingolipid biosynthesis in regulating antioxidant defense, protein synthesis, and cell membrane remodeling during development. • Strain-specific variations: Highlight differential gene expression trends among strains, providing insights for strain optimization in industrial cultivation. • Resource contribution: Establish a comprehensive transcriptome dataset for Hypochaeris radicata, advancing molecular breeding strategies for edible fungi. The growth mechanisms of Hymenopellis radicata fruiting bodies are critical for yield and quality but remain unclear. This study employed transcriptome sequencing across three strains (Or003, Or004, and Or019) at four developmental stages. Results revealed 12,993, 12,263, 12,123, and 12,315 co-expressed genes at four distinct growth stages, with 9,097 genes expressed across all stages. Functional enrichment revealed significant involvement in glutathione metabolism, ribosome function, sphingolipid biosynthesis, galactose metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, cyanamide metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, and lysosomal pathways. These findings provide key genetic insights for molecular breeding to optimize fruiting body development.