Transcriptome and 4D label-free quantitative phosphoproteome analyses reveal transcriptional and phosphorylation changes of key genes in fruiting body development of Pleurotus ostreatus

Transcriptomics and 4D label-free quantitative phosphoproteomics technologies were used to study the molecular basis of fruiting body development in Pleurotus ostreatus at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels. During the transition from the mycelium to the primordium stage, a greater number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were down-regulated, and phosphorylation levels decreased in most differentially phosphorylated proteins (DPPs). During the transition from primordium to fruiting body stage, was characterized by a predominance of up-regulated DEGs and enhanced phosphorylation levels in a larger proportion of DPPs. During the transition from primordium to fruiting body stage, a greater number of DEGs were up-regulated, and phosphorylation levels were enhanced in the DPPs. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of key DPPs revealed that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, ribosome, spliceosome, and RNA transport were critical pathways influencing fruiting body development. Functional validation of the key gene PoMPK1 in the MAPK signaling pathway was performed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation. The results demonstrated that interference with the PoMPK1 gene promoted fruiting body development, indicating that PoMPK1 negatively regulates fruiting body development in P. ostreatus. This work provides a theoretical reference for the molecular mechanism of fruiting body development in P. ostreatus.