Publications by authors named "Anton Sonnenberg"

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Oyster mushrooms are grown commercially worldwide, especially in many developing countries, for their easy cultivation and high biological efficiency. Pleurotus cornucopiae is one of the main oyster mushroom species because of its gastronomic value and nutraceutical properties. Cap color is an important trait, since consumers prefer dark mushrooms, which are now represented by only a small portion of the commercial varieties.

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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 .

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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.

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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.

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Background: White rot fungi have been used to improve the nutritive value of lignocellulose for ruminants. In feed analysis, the Van Soest method is widely used to determine the cell wall contents. To assess the reliability of this method (Method A) for determination of cell wall contents in fungal-treated wheat straw, we compared a combined monosaccharide analysis and pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) (Method B).

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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.

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Background: This study investigated the ruminal degradability of various wheat straw types by the white-rot fungi Ceriporiopsis subvermispora (CS) and Lentinula edodes (LE). Different cultivars (CV) of wheat straw at different maturity stages (MS) were treated with the fungi for 7 weeks and assessed for chemical composition and in vitro gas production (IVGP).

Results: Both fungi showed a more pronounced degradation of lignin on a more mature straw (MS3; 89.

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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.

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Background: One of the main problems in the button mushroom industry is the rapid deterioration of fruit bodies after harvest. Today, nanotechnology has become a more reliable technique to improve the quality of products in food packaging. In the present study, the effectiveness of chitosan nanoparticles containing Citrus aurantium essential oil on postharvest quality of white button mushroom was examined and compared to essential oil fumigation and control treatments.

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Background: Pleurotus tuoliensis (Bailinggu) is a commercially cultivated mushroom species with an increasing popularity in China and other Asian countries. Commercial profits are now low, mainly due to a low yield, long cultivation period and sensitivity to diseases. Breeding efforts are thus required to improve agronomical important traits.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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