Future of Scarlet Caterpillar Club Fungus: A Review on Molecular Strategies for Cordycepin Enhancement

Rubi Kumari , Nayna Mukherjee, Aryan Sharma , Amitesh Chaman , Shankar Narayana Reddy  and Shivika Sharma^*

Department of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India

Corresponding Author E-mail: shivikasharma25@gmail.com

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/3268

ABSTRACT: Cordycepin, a novel nucleoside derived from the Scarlet Caterpillar Club fungus, has gained considerable attention for its broad spectrum of biological properties profitable in the medicinal sector.  Despite being significant in the pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical sectors, its difficult cultivating techniques make it hard to produce in large quantities. Its commercial potential depends on large-scale production improvements.  In the laboratory, cordycepin can be synthesized via chemical and biosynthetic pathways.  Although chemical synthesis offers precise control, mass manufacturing is not economically viable. Thus, several biosynthetic pathways are modified for a comprehensive investigation of variables, particularly enzyme function and metabolic flux, that affect the synthesis of cordycepin. For production at a larger scale, several fermentation techniques are employed, out of which, the submerged or liquid fermentation proves to be more economical to achieve greater yield. Another key approach that significantly influences cordycepin production aims to improve culture conditions, like temperature, pH, vitamin concentrations, carbon, and nitrogen sources. Diverse substrate selections can point to improvement in the  growth of fungus. Production also varies with the effect of different sources of nitrogen and carbon or carbon/nitrogen ratios on Cordyceps militaris growth and glucose and dextrose are the most efficient carbon sources for the growth of C. militaris, while peptone is primarily used as a nitrogen source. The large-scale production of cordycepin can also employ corn steep liquor hydrolysate, a secondary metabolite from several industries, as a nitrogen source thus increasing cordycepin yield and is economical.  Protoplast fusion has a significant role in achieving higher cordycepin production from C. militaris, when its protoplast was fused within the same species or different species of he genus with a better  mycelial growth. strain selection using modern molecular techniques is also a significant variable for improving yield, cordycepin synthesis is now better understood owing to the use of omics technologies and upregulating the genes that regulate the cordycepin biosynthesis pathway in C. militaris. This article presents an in-depth discussion of the molecular approaches used to increase the production of cordycepin.

KEYWORDS: Biosynthesis; Cordycepin; Culture optimization; Genetic Engineering; Omics Technologies; Molecular Strategies; Synthetic Biology

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