The basidiomycetous mushroom Lentinula edodes white collar-2 homolog PHRB,a partner of putative blue-light photoreceptor PHRA,binds to a specific site in the promoter region of the L. edodes tyrosinase gene

We isolated a cDNA homolog of Neurospora crassa wc-2 from the basidiomycetous mushroom Lentinula edodes and termed it phrB cDNA. The deduced PHRB (313 amino acid residues) contained a PAS domain and a zinc-finger motif. Random binding-site selection analysis of the PHRB produced in Escherichia coli revealed that it bound to a 7-bp sequence with the consensus sequence 5′GATA/TTG/T/AC3′. Electrophoretic mobility-shift assay showed that it also bound to the consensus sequence 5′GATATTC3′ in the promoter region of the L. edodes tyrosinase gene (Le.tyr). In vitro GST-pulldown immunoblot analysis disclosed that PHRB interacts with a putative blue-light photoreceptor of L. edodes (PHRA), the homolog of N. crassa WC-1, through the PAS B- and/or PAS C domain of PHRA. The expression of phrB and Le.tyr genes in pre-primordial mycelia of L. edodes is induced by light exposure, suggesting that PHRB can regulate the expression of the Le.tyr gene in a light-dependent manner.     

Developmental regulator Le.CDC5 of the mushroom Lentinula edodes: analyses of its amount in each of the stages of fruiting-body formation and its distribution in parts of the fruiting bodies

Immunoblot analysis of Le.CDC5 (842 amino acid residues), the expressed product of the cDNA of Le.cdc5 gene that has been previously reported to be most actively transcribed in primordia and small immature fruiting bodies of the basidiomycete Lentinula edodes, showed that the primordia, immature fruiting bodies and mature fruiting bodies contain similar amounts of Le.CDC5 protein. This indicates that the Le.CDC5 protein molecules synthesized in the beginning and early stage of fruiting-body formation remains in mycelial tissues even after small immature fruiting bodies developed and matured. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that Le.CDC5 is present everywhere in the mycelial tissues of immature fruiting body, but prehymenophore, the border between pileus and stipe, and the bottom of stipe seem likely to contain larger amounts of Le.CDC5. Within the hymenophore of mature fruiting body, the hymenium (in/on which a large number of basidia and basidiospores are formed) contains the Le.CDC5 most exclusively.     

Fruiting body productivity of protoplast-derived clones inLentinula edodes

More than 100 dikaryotic clones (protoclones) derived from mycelial protoplasts of aLentinula edodes dikaryon were examined for their mycelial growth and fruiting body productivity. These protoclones exhibited a variety of vegetative mycelial growth rates, but no apparent difference in colonial morphology compared with the original (parental) dikaryon. Protoclones were cultivated on wood logs under natural conditions, and they exhibited a very wide range of fruiting body yields. Of the 134 protoclones, four were selected that produced a 30–40% increase in dry weight of fruiting body yield over that of the original dikaryon. This high productivity of fruiting bodies was maintained for at least several years. The present results suggest thatL. edodes protoclones can be practically used in strain improvement to increase the capability of fruiting body formation. Contribution No. 287 from the Tottori Mycological Institute.     

Strain typing of shiitake (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lentinula edodes</Emphasis>) cultivars by AFLP analysis,focusing on a heat-dried fruiting body

To validate strain typing by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis in shiitake (Lentinula edodes) cultivars, the reproducibility of AFLP markers with DNA extracted from the heat-dried fruiting body was evaluated. DNAs were extracted from three different portions of the heat-dried fruiting body – the stipe, pileus, and gill – and AFLP analysis of all parts was carried out using two combinations of selected amplification primer pairs. AFLP profiles of DNA from the gill tissue of heat-dried fruiting body were almost identical to those of cultured mycelia in the same strains, although it was difficult to detect reproducible AFLP profiles from stipe and pileus DNA. These results indicated that AFLP analysis would be applicable for strain typing with heat-dried fruiting bodies of L. edodes by using the DNA extracted from gills.Contribution No. 364 of the Tottori Mycological Institute     

Cloning, sequence analysis and transcriptional expression of a ras gene of the edible basidiomycete Lentinus edodes

In the edible basidiomycete, Lentinus edodes, the presence of a high level of intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) is closely related to the onset of fruiting and/or primordium formation. Since a close relationship between intracellular cAMP levels and expression of ras genes was reported for organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Dictyostelium discoideum, we have cloned and sequences a ras gene homologue from L. edodes (Le.), and analyzed its expression during development of the fungus. This gene, named Le.ras, has a coding capacity of 217 amino acids (aa) interrupted by six small introns. The deduced Le.Ras protein exhibited the highest homology to the Schizosaccharomyces pombe RAS protein (219 aa): 86% homology in the N-terminal 80-aa sequence and 74% homology in the next 80 aa. The Le.ras gene was transcribed at similar levels during mycelial development in fruiting-body formation, suggesting no direct correlation of Le.ras expression with intracellular cAMP levels in this organism.     

Purification and Chemical Properties of an Inhibitor of Plant Virus Infection from Fruiting Bodies of Lentinus edodes

A new inhibitor of plant virus infection from fruiting bodies of Lentinus edodes was purified by a method using fractionation with DEAE-Cellulose, gel filtration on Sephadex G-75, and column chromatography on CM-Toyopearl 650M. The purified inhibitor thus obtained was homogeneous on disc and SDS disc electrophoreses, and the molecular weight of the inhibitor was 23,000. The inhibitor consisted of 17.4% nitrogen, which was found to be a basic simple protein, but contained no neutral sugar, hexosamine nor sialic acid. The inhibitor was estimated to be composed of about 199 amino acid residues. This inhibitor was named “fruiting body protein (FBP).”     

Biological and inherited characteristics of a newly identified <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lentinula edodes</Emphasis> strain capable of forming a fruiting body without a shift to low temperature

A strain of the basidiomycete Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) was newly identified from the mushroom library of Mori Sangyo Co., Ltd., Japan. This strain, named MIL-LEW-M13-1, is capable of forming the fruiting body on sawdust-based medium without a reduction in temperature. Mating experiments with a monokaryotic mycelium of L. edodes strain that does require low temperature for fruiting–body formation suggest that the unique property of the MIL-LEW-M13-1 strain is a dominant trait that can be inherited by its progeny in a nucleus-dependent manner.