Unraveling the aroma-producing mechanism of the xerophilic fungus Xerochrysium coryli via integrated transcriptomic and volatile metabolomic analysis.

To investigate the aroma-producing mechanism of the tobacco-derived fungus Xerochrysium coryli, this study employed an integrated approach combining volatile metabolomics and transcriptomics. A total of 61 volatile metabolites were identified, and 17,269 genes were annotated. By integrating metabolite dynamics, differential gene expression, and pathway enrichment, we constructed a "gene-metabolite-pathway" association network. Significantly associated aroma-producing pathways included: aromatic amino acid conversion (associated with aromatic compounds such as phenylacetaldehyde and 2-phenylethanol), branched-chain amino acid degradation (related to the formation of higher alcohols such as isoamyl alcohol), lipid metabolism and its oxidative derivatives (potentially contributing aliphatic aldehydes/ketones/alcohols), and pathways related to terpenoid backbone biosynthesis. Collectively, these findings provide the first foundational insights into the molecular basis of aroma compound production in X. coryli.