Biosynthesis of Resveratrol in Blastospore of the Macrofungus Tremella fuciformis.

Tremella fuciformis is a known edible macrofungus that has medicinal value. It is widely cultivated in China and its products are distributed worldwide. In this study, a novel bioconversion system was established to produce resveratrol in the blastospore of T. fuciformis (bTf). The expression vector ptro1-4cl-rs that contains 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase gene (4cl) and resveratrol synthase gene (rs) was transformed into bTf by LiAc/PEG-mediated transformation. PCR and southern blotting analysis verified the successful integration of the exogenous 4cl and rs genes into the genome of bTf. HPLC analysis confirmed that two transformants can convert p-coumaric acid into resveratrol (0.92 and 0.83 μg/g resveratrol of dry weight within 7 days). This study is the first to report about the transformation and expression of resveratrol biosynthetic genes in bTf. This research is a significant step toward obtaining resveratrol-producing T. fuciformis strains, which not only satisfy the demand of resveratrol market, but also expand the category of functional food.