Diversity of Endophytic Fungal Community in Huperzia Serrata from Different Ecological Areas and Their Correlation with Hup A Content

Abstract Hup A has attracted considerable attention as an effective therapeutic candidate drug used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. However, till now, very few comprehensive studies are available on the biological diversity and structural composition of endophytic fungi and the effects of endophytic fungi on the Hup A accumulation in H. serrata. In this research, the composition and diversity of fungal communities were deciphered comparative sequence analysis of the ITS2 region of the fungal rRNA genes based on high-throughput sequencing technology. The correlation between endophytic fungal community and Hup A content was investigated as well. Results revealed that the richness as well as diversity of endophytic fungi was various according to different tissues and different ecological areas. The endophytic fungal communities of H. serrata exhibit specie-specific, ecological-specific and tissue-specific characteristic. This study will provide realistic basis and theoretical significance for understanding the biological diversity and structural composition of endophytic fungal communities in H. serrata, as well as providing novel insights into the interaction between endophytic fungi and Hup A content.