A chromosome-scale nuclear genome and complete mitogenome of the bio-control fungus Cordyceps cateniannulata

Min Liu; Qiaosun Huang; Huiyu Tang; Ziqiang Wang; Wei Zheng; Zihao Wang; Xi Huang; Yixi Zhang; Yanan Wang; Luodong Huang

doi:10.1038/s41597-026-07231-1

A chromosome-scale nuclear genome and complete mitogenome of the bio-control fungus Cordyceps cateniannulata

Sci Data. 2026 Apr 14. doi: 10.1038/s41597-026-07231-1. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Min Liu^#¹, Qiaosun Huang^#¹, Huiyu Tang¹, Ziqiang Wang¹, Wei Zheng¹, Zihao Wang¹, Xi Huang¹, Yixi Zhang¹, Yanan Wang², Luodong Huang³

Affiliations

¹ College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China.
² State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China. wangyn@nrc.ac.cn.
³ College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China. ynhuangld@gxu.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 41980997
DOI: 10.1038/s41597-026-07231-1

Abstract

Cordyceps cateniannulata, a recently characterized entomopathogenic fungus, has been employed in biological control, plant disease management, and growth promotion. In this study, the complete genomic sequences of C. cateniannulata were generated using BGI, PacBio, and Hi-C sequencing platforms. The nuclear genome spans 32.71 Mb, comprising seven pseudochromosomes (chromosome-scale scaffolds) with an N50 length of 4,790,175 bp and a guanine-cytosine content of 53.82%. For the first time, a fully assembled mitochondrial genome of 24,712 bp and a ribosomal DNA tandem repeat sequence of 7,974 bp were obtained. Furthermore, after meticulous annotation and manual refinement of structural features, 10,744 protein-coding genes and 156 non-coding RNAs were identified. This study has produced the high-quality whole-genome map of the C. cateniannulata, offering substantial theoretical significance and application potential for the innovative exploitation of Cordyceps fungal germplasm resources. Additionally, it provides novel perspectives on the evolutionary trajectory, infection strategies, and ecological adaptability of entomopathogenic fungi.