Intraspecies Variation Offers Potential to Improve White Rot Fungi for Increasing Degradability of Lignocellulose for Ruminants.

The aim of fungal treatment of organic matter for ruminants is the improvement of its degradability. So far, such treatment appears to be time-consuming and improvement has been modest. In previous work, we observed within three white rot species that there is modest () or low ( and ) variation in fiber degradation in wheat straw during seven weeks of incubation.

Feeding growing button mushrooms: The role of substrate mycelium to feed the first two flushes.

A number of experiments were done to further our understanding of the substrate utilization in button mushroom crops (Agaricus bisporus). An analysis of the degradation of dry matter of the substrate during a crop cycle revealed that for pin formation the upper 1/3rd layer is used, for the production of flush one all layers are involved and for flush two mainly the lower 1/3 layer is used. A reduction in substrate depth leads to a decrease in yield/m2 but an apparent increase in yield per tonne of substrate with a lower mushroom quality.

Fine Mapping and Functional Analysis of the Gene , Involved in Control of Cap Color of Pleurotus cornucopiae.

Oyster mushrooms have a high biological efficiency and are easy to cultivate, which is why they are produced all over the world. Cap color is an important commercial trait for oyster mushrooms. Little is known about the genetic mechanism of the cap color trait in oyster mushrooms, which limits molecular breeding for the improvement of cap color-type cultivars.

Mapping Recombination Landscape and Basidial Spore Number in the Button Mushroom .

The button mushroom is represented mainly by two varieties, a secondarily homothallic variety with predominantly two heterokaryotic spores per basidia and a heterothallic variety with predominantly four homokaryotic spored basidium. Both varieties also differ in their recombination landscape with the former showing crossovers (CO) predominantly at chromosome ends whereas the latter has a more evenly distribution of CO over the chromosomes. The two varieties are compatible, and this has been used to study segregation of the basidial spore number (BSN) and the genomic positions of recombination, i.

Mating-Type Locus Organization and Mating-Type Chromosome Differentiation in the Bipolar Edible Button Mushroom .

In heterothallic basidiomycete fungi, sexual compatibility is restricted by mating types, typically controlled by two loci: , encoding pheromone precursors and pheromone receptors, and , encoding two types of homeodomain transcription factors. We analysed the single mating-type locus of the commercial button mushroom variety, var. , and of the related variety .

Interruption of an MSH4 homolog blocks meiosis in metaphase I and eliminates spore formation in Pleurotus ostreatus.

Pleurotus ostreatus, one of the most widely cultivated edible mushrooms, produces high numbers of spores causing severe respiratory health problems for people, clogging of filters and spoilage of produce. A non-sporulating commercial variety (SPOPPO) has been successfully introduced into the market in 2006. This variety was generated by introgression breeding of a natural mutation into a commercial variety.

Telomere-to-telomere assembled and centromere annotated genomes of the two main subspecies of the button mushroom Agaricus bisporus reveal especially polymorphic chromosome ends.

Agaricus bisporus, the most cultivated edible mushroom worldwide, is represented mainly by the subspecies var. bisporus and var. burnettii.

Critical Factors Involved in Primordia Building in : A Review.

The button mushroom is an economically important crop worldwide. Many aspects of its cultivation are well known, except for the precise biological triggers for its fructification. By and large, for most basidiomycete species, nutrient availability, light and a drop in temperature are critical factors for fructification.

Mechanistic insight in the selective delignification of wheat straw by three white-rot fungal species through quantitative C-IS py-GC-MS and whole cell wall HSQC NMR.

Background: The white-rot fungi (), (), and () have been shown to be high-potential species for selective delignification of plant biomass. This delignification improves polysaccharide degradability, which currently limits the efficient lignocellulose conversion into biochemicals, biofuels, and animal feed. Since selectivity and time efficiency of fungal delignification still need optimization, detailed understanding of the underlying mechanisms at molecular level is required.

Nucleus-specific expression in the multinuclear mushroom-forming fungus reveals different nuclear regulatory programs.

Many fungi are polykaryotic, containing multiple nuclei per cell. In the case of heterokaryons, there are different nuclear types within a single cell. It is unknown what the different nuclear types contribute in terms of mRNA expression levels in fungal heterokaryons.

Preservation of Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and Lentinula edodes treated wheat straw under anaerobic conditions.

Background: No attention has been paid so far to the preservation of fungal-treated lignocellulose for longer periods. In the present study, we treated wheat straw (WS) with the white-rot fungi Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and Lentinula edodes for 8 weeks and assessed changes in pH, chemical composition and in vitro gas production (IVGP) weekly. Fungal-treated WS was also stored for 64 days 'as is', with the addition of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) or with a combination of LAB and molasses in airtight glass jars mimicking ensiling conditions.

Developments in breeding of Agaricus bisporus var. bisporus: progress made and technical and legal hurdles to take.

True breeding of button mushrooms has hardly been done in the last decades, despite this species being one of the most cultivated mushrooms worldwide. Research done in the last 20 years has identified and characterised new germplasm and improved our understanding of the genetic base for some traits. A substantial collection of wild-collected strains is now available and partly characterised for a number of important traits such as disease resistance and yield.

Physical Interaction of T Cells with Dendritic Cells Is Not Required for the Immunomodulatory Effects of the Edible Mushroom .

Mushrooms are well known for their immunomodulating capacities. However, little is known about how mushroom-stimulated dendritic cells (DCs) affect T cells. Therefore, we investigated the effect of mushroom compounds derived from seven edible mushroom species on DCs, their fate in DCs, and the effect of the mushroom-stimulated DCs on T cells.

Selective ligninolysis of wheat straw and wood chips by the white-rot fungus Lentinula edodes and its influence on in vitro rumen degradability.

Background: The present work investigated the influence of lignin content and composition in the fungal treatment of lignocellulosic biomass in order to improve rumen degradability. Wheat straw and wood chips, differing in lignin composition, were treated with Lentinula edodes for 0, 2, 4, 8 and 12 wk and the changes occurring during fungal degradation were analyzed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and detergent fiber analysis.

Results: L.

Multi-trait QTL analysis for agronomic and quality characters of Agaricus bisporus (button mushrooms).

The demand for button mushrooms of high quality is increasing. Superior button mushroom varieties require the combination of multiple traits to maximize productivity and quality. Very often these traits are correlated and should, therefore, be evaluated together rather than as single traits.

The effect of particle size and amount of inoculum on fungal treatment of wheat straw and wood chips.

Background: The aim of this study was to optimize the fungal treatment of lignocellulosic biomass by stimulating the colonization. Wheat straw and wood chips were treated with Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and Lentinula edodes with various amounts of colonized millet grains (0.5, 1.

A detailed analysis of the recombination landscape of the button mushroom Agaricus bisporus var. bisporus.

The button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is one of the world's most cultivated mushroom species, but in spite of its economic importance generation of new cultivars by outbreeding is exceptional. Previous genetic analyses of the white bisporus variety, including all cultivars and most wild isolates revealed that crossing over frequencies are low, which might explain the lack of introducing novel traits into existing cultivars. By generating two high quality whole genome sequence assemblies (one de novo and the other by improving the existing reference genome) of the first commercial white hybrid Horst U1, a detailed study of the crossover (CO) landscape was initiated.

Quantitative trait locus mapping for bruising sensitivity and cap color of Agaricus bisporus (button mushrooms).

White button mushrooms discolor after mechanical damage of the cap skin. This hampers the development of a mechanical harvest system for the fresh market. To unravel the genetic basis for bruising sensitivity, two haploid populations (single spore cultures) were generated derived from crosses between parental lines differing in discoloration after mechanical damage (bruising sensitivity).

Complementary symbiont contributions to plant decomposition in a fungus-farming termite.

Termites normally rely on gut symbionts to decompose organic matter but the Macrotermitinae domesticated Termitomyces fungi to produce their own food. This transition was accompanied by a shift in the composition of the gut microbiota, but the complementary roles of these bacteria in the symbiosis have remained enigmatic. We obtained high-quality annotated draft genomes of the termite Macrotermes natalensis, its Termitomyces symbiont, and gut metagenomes from workers, soldiers, and a queen.

The scope for nuclear selection within Termitomyces fungi associated with fungus-growing termites is limited.

Background: We investigate the scope for selection at the level of nuclei within fungal individuals (mycelia) of the mutualistic Termitomyces cultivated by fungus-growing termites. Whereas in most basidiomycete fungi the number and kind of nuclei is strictly regulated to be two per cell, in Termitomyces mycelia the number of nuclei per cell is highly variable. We hypothesised that natural selection on these fungi not only occurs between mycelia, but also at the level of nuclei within the mycelium.

Assessing the immunomodulatory potential of high-molecular-weight extracts from mushrooms; an assay based on THP-1 macrophages.

Background: Food is a potential source of immunomodulating compounds that may be used to steer immune responses towards a desired status such as reducing inflammatory disorders. However, to identify and characterize such bioactive compounds, biologically relevant and standardized assays are required. Macrophages play an important role in immunomodulation and are suited for developing cell-based assays.

Development and growth of fruit bodies and crops of the button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus.

We studied the appearance of fruit body primordia, the growth of individual fruit bodies and the development of the consecutive flushes of the crop. Relative growth, measured as cap expansion, was not constant. It started extremely rapidly, and slowed down to an exponential rate with diameter doubling of 1.

Genetic variation and combining ability analysis of bruising sensitivity in Agaricus bisporus.

Advanced button mushroom cultivars that are less sensitive to mechanical bruising are required by the mushroom industry, where automated harvesting still cannot be used for the fresh mushroom market. The genetic variation in bruising sensitivity (BS) of Agaricus bisporus was studied through an incomplete set of diallel crosses to get insight in the heritability of BS and the combining ability of the parental lines used and, in this way, to estimate their breeding value. To this end nineteen homokaryotic lines recovered from wild strains and cultivars were inter-crossed in a diallel scheme.

Genome-wide survey of repetitive DNA elements in the button mushroom Agaricus bisporus.

Repetitive DNA elements are ubiquitous constituents of eukaryotic genomes. The biological roles of these repetitive elements, supposed to impact genome organization and evolution, are not completely elucidated yet. The availability of whole genome sequence offers the opportunity to draw a picture of the genome-wide distribution of these elements and provide insights into potential mechanisms of genome plasticity.