隐花色素是广泛存在于生物体内的一类蓝光/UV-A受体，参与光介导的光形态建成及生物钟调控，在动植物模式生物中被广泛研究。前期研究证明蛹虫草光受体CmWC-1感受光信号后传递给隐花色素Cry-DASH，调控子实体发育和虫草素产量，但Cry-DASH调控蛹虫草子实体发育和虫草素合成的分子机制仍不清楚。本项目中，我们将综合利用分子生物学、结构生物学及生物化学研究手段对蛹虫草隐花色素Cry-DASH的功能和作用机制进行系统探索：通过隐花色素Cry-DASH基因敲除及表型分析，明确其对蛹虫草子实体发育和虫草素合成的作用；采用串联亲和纯化/质谱，鉴定与Cry-DASH直接相互作用并与子实体发育和虫草素合成相关蛋白；通过解析隐花色素Cry-DASH蛋白晶体结构，分析其催化机制，最终利用所得到的结果分析隐花色素Cry-DASH在光信号传递中的作用，为蛹虫草子实体优质栽培和提高虫草素产量提供理论依据。

Cryptochromes are blue-light/UV-A photoreceptors found in numberous organisms, which mediate photomorphogenesis and the regulation of circadian clock, and have been widely studied in plant and animal model organisms. Although the photoreceptor CmWC-1 has been demonstrated to sense light as a signal and transmit to cryptochrome Cry-DASH to modulate fruit body development and cordycepin production in Cordyceps militaris in our previous research, it was unillustrated that the function and mechanism of Cry-DASH in fruiting body development and cordycepin production of Cordyceps militaris. In this proposal, we will use a combination of approaches from structural biology, biochemistry and molecular biology to elucidate the function and molecular mechanism of cryptochrome Cry-DASH in cordyceps militaris. Special emphasis will be placed on 1) the knock-out of cry-DASH and alteration analysis of phenotype about the mutant strain will be performed to investigate the roles of Cry-DASH in the regulation of fungal fruiting body development and cordycepin production, 2) The tandem affinity puriftcation /MS is performed to identify proteins, which play key roles in the fruiting body development and cordycepin production, interacting directly with Cry-DASH, 3) the crystal structure of Cry-DASH is determined to analysis the catalytic mechanism, and generating the function of cryptochrome Cry-DASH in light reaction mechanisms with the resulting information and provide a theoretical basis for the high quality and high cordycepin yield cultivation of Cordyceps militaris.