Non-support of species complex hypothesis of Cordyceps sinensis by targeted rDNA-ITS sequence analysis
针对性rDNA-ITS序列分析不支持冬虫夏草复合种假设

Cordyceps sinensis is a well-known traditional Chinese herb commonly used as a tonic drug for hundreds of years. It is mainly distributed in Asian high-altitude grasslands, growing parasitically on buried larvae of Lepidoptera. Hirsutella sinensis is the only anamorph of C. sinensis that has been supported by several reports especially at rDNA-ITS level. However, the rDNA-ITS sequences of C. sinensis available from the NCBI database are still significantly divergent, except for the apparently erroneous-accessioned sequences. Based on the GenBank sequences, a hypothesis of three cryptic species involved in C. sinensis species complex was proposed before. In order to examine this hypothesis, we carried out the experiment by designing specific primers for targeted rDNA-ITS sequences using the DNA sample from individual C. sinensis fruiting body. Specimens of C. sinensis were collected from Sichuan and Qinghai of China, respectively. Our results suggested that only the C. sinensis-group A is the authentic C. sinensis. The so-called C. sinensis-group B and C. sinensis-group C are most likely different fungal species rather than the cryptic species of C. sinensis.