Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the Complex in Southwestern China.

and its allies are important edible and medicinal mushrooms in China. They are usually called Jiner () and have been cultivated on a commercial scale. However, due to the lack of DNA sequences from the holotype of , the taxonomic issues of the species complex are unresolved.

Phylogenetic and taxonomic updates of , with an emphasis on .

The order was divided into eight suborders. However, the phylogenetic relationships among some suborders are largely unresolved, and the phylogenetic positions and delimitations of some taxa, such as and , remain unsettled. In this study, sequence data of 38 genomes were generated through genome skimming on an Illumina sequencing system.

Four New Species and One New Record of from China.

Species of the genus (Thelephorales, Thelephoraceae) are ectomycorrhizal symbionts of coniferous and broad-leaved plants, and some of them are well-known edible mushrooms, making it an exceptionally important group ecologically and economically. However, the diversity of the species from China has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses, along with morphological observations of this genus.

Molecular phylogeny and morphology of sp. nov. (, ), an invertebrate-associated species from Yunnan, China.

During investigations of invertebrate-associated fungi in Yunnan Province of China, a new species, sp. nov., was collected.

Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the Family (, ).

Species of are common macrofungi with a worldwide distribution. Some of them are commercially consumed, while a few others are reported as poisonous. Two genera were accepted in the family: the epigeous Gyromitra with discoid, cerebriform to saddle-shaped ascomata and the hypogeous Hydnotrya with globose or tuberous ascomata.

, a new genus of Gomphales.

The genus and species are proposed as new based on morphological assessments and molecular phylogenetic evidence inferred from nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial (mt) adenosine triphosphate (ATPase) subunit 6 () and mt small subunit rDNA (mtSSU). Basidiomes of are characterized by the peach to pinkish orange color, cantharelloid habit with a gill-like hymenophore with obtuse edges, smooth and cylindrical to allantoid basidiospores, and cylindrical to narrowly clavate flexuous pleurocystidia. The species resembles a species of but differs from the latter by the cylindrical basidiospores.

Elevation Matters More than Season in Shaping the Heterogeneity of Soil and Root Associated Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community.

Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi play important roles in forest ecosystems, and their richness and composition can change along with elevation and season changes. However, no study has estimated the relative importance of altitudinal and seasonal heterogeneity in predicting the distribution of EcM fungal communities by simultaneously considering different sample types (root versus soil). In this study, we collected root and soil samples along a > 1,500-m elevation gradient during wet and dry seasons from Baima Snow Mountain, located in "the Mountains of Southwest China," one of the 34 biodiversity hot spots, and we analyzed them using next-generation sequencing.

Evolutionary innovations through gain and loss of genes in the ectomycorrhizal Boletales.

We aimed to identify genomic traits of transitions to ectomycorrhizal ecology within the Boletales by comparing the genomes of 21 symbiotrophic species with their saprotrophic brown-rot relatives. Gene duplication rate is constant along the backbone of Boletales phylogeny with large loss events in several lineages, while gene family expansion sharply increased in the late Miocene, mostly in the Boletaceae. Ectomycorrhizal Boletales have a reduced set of plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) compared with their brown-rot relatives.

Spiroseoflosterol, a Rearranged Ergostane-Steroid from the Fruiting Bodies of .

Spiroseoflosterol (), a 7(8→9)--ergostane steroid with a unique spiro[4.5]decan-6-one system, was isolated from the fruiting bodies of . Its structure was determined by interpretation of comprehensive spectroscopic, X-ray, and computational data.

Meroterpenoids from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma theaecolum.

A series of new terminal cyclohexane-type meroterpenoids, ganotheaecoloids A-N (1-6, 8-13, 15, and 16), along with three known ones (7, 14, and 17), were isolated from the dried fruiting bodies of Ganoderma theaecolum. Their chemical structures were identified by using spectroscopic data and computational methods. Biological activity of all the new meroterpenoids against COX-2 was evaluated in vitro, only ganotheaecoloid J (11) was found to have COX-2 inhibitory activity with IC value of 9.

Ganotheaecolin A, a Neurotrophic Conjugated Ergosterol with a Naphtho[1,8-ef]azulene Scaffold from Ganoderma theaecolum.

Ganotheaecolin A (1), a novel ergosterol with a rare naphtho[1,8-ef]azulene ring system, was isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma theaecolum. Its structure was determined by spectroscopic data and computational methods. Compound 1 represents a 6/6/7/5-fused carbon skeletal ergosterol typically formed by Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement, whose plausible biosynthetic pathway was briefly discussed.

Cyptotrama (Physalacriaceae, Agaricales) from Asia.

Cyptotrama was divided into several sections, of which sect. Xerulina was often treated as a separate genus by some mycologists. In this study, collections of Cyptotrama from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia were studied.

Applanatumin A, a new dimeric meroterpenoid from Ganoderma applanatum that displays potent antifibrotic activity.

Applanatumin A (1), a novel meroterpenoid dimer, was isolated from the fungus Ganoderma applanatum. Its structure and absolute configuration were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic and computational data. Notably, 1 possesses a new hexacyclic skeleton containing a spiro[benzofuran-2,1'-cyclopentane] motif.

Cochlearols A and B, polycyclic meroterpenoids from the fungus Ganoderma cochlear that have renoprotective activities.

(+)- and (-)-cochlearols A (1) and B (2), two meroterpenoids with novel polycyclic skeletons, were isolated from the fruiting bodies of the fungus Ganoderma cochlear. Their structures and stereochemistry were determined by using spectroscopic, computational and single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Cochlearol A is a new normeroterpenoid containing a naturally unusual dioxaspiro[4.

Hypoglycemia and death in mice following experimental exposure to an extract of Trogia venenata mushrooms.

Background: Clusters of sudden unexplained death (SUD) in Yunnan Province, China, have been linked to eating Trogia venenata mushrooms. We evaluated the toxic effect of this mushroom on mice.

Methods: We prepared extracts of fresh T.

Clusters of sudden unexplained death associated with the mushroom, Trogia venenata, in rural Yunnan Province, China.

Introduction: Since the late 1970's, time-space clusters of sudden unexplained death (SUD) in northwest Yunnan, China have alarmed the public and health authorities. From 2006-2009, we initiated enhanced surveillance for SUD to identify a cause, and we warned villagers to avoid eating unfamiliar mushrooms.

Methods: We established surveillance for SUD, defined as follows: sudden onset of serious, unexplained physical impairment followed by death in <24 hours.

Genetic diversity of Dahongjun, the commercially important "Big Red Mushroom" from southern China.

Background: In southern China, a wild ectomycorrhizal mushroom commonly called "Dahongjun" or "Big Red Mushroom" by the local residents, has been harvested, consumed, and/or exported as an exotic food for many years. Although ecologically and economically important, very little is known about this mushroom, including its diversity and population structure.

Methodology And Principal Findings: In this study, we analyzed 122 samples from five local populations representing the known distribution ranges of this mushroom in southern China.

Vibralactones D-F from cultures of the basidiomycete Boreostereum vibrans.

Three new metabolites, vibralactones D-F (1-3) were isolated from cultures of the basidiomycete Boreostereum vibrans. The relative configuration of 1 was established on the basis of X-ray diffraction analysis, while the absolute configurations of 1-3 were assigned using a modified Mosher's method. Compound 1 showed weak inhibitory activities against isozymes of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSD) with IC(50) values of 85.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the ectomycorrhizal mushroom Tricholoma matsutake.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are becoming increasingly popular markers for studying a variety of biological phenomena. This paper describes the development and analysis of a set of SNP markers for the basidiomycete fungus Tricholoma matsutake. T.

Contributions of rpb2 and tef1 to the phylogeny of mushrooms and allies (Basidiomycota, Fungi).

A phylogeny of the fungal phylum Basidiomycota is presented based on a survey of 160 taxa and five nuclear genes. Two genes, rpb2, and tef1, are presented in detail. The rpb2 gene is more variable than tef1 and recovers well-supported clades at shallow and deep taxonomic levels.

Dacryoscyphus chrysochilus, a new staurosporous anamorph with cupulate conidiomata from China and with affinities to the Dacrymycetales (Basidiomycota).

An anamorphic fungus forming laterally attached, cupulate, gelatinous, hyaline to white conidiomata with a golden yellow rim producing 2-4-armed stauroconidia from monoblastic conidiogenous cells was collected on dead twigs of Rhododendron sp. in southwestern China. Ultrastructure of the septal pore and comparative analysis of the 5' region of the nuclear large subunit of the ribosomal RNA gene sequence revealed a phylogenetic relationship with members of the Dacrymycetales.