A comparison of methods for successful triggering of gene silencing in Coprinus cinereus

Lessons on fruiting body morphogenesis from genomes and transcriptomes of Agaricomycetes

Fruiting bodies (sporocarps, sporophores or basidiomata) of mushroom-forming fungi (Agaricomycetes) are among the most complex structures produced by fungi. Unlike vegetative hyphae, fruiting bodies grow determinately and follow a genetically encoded developmental program that orchestrates their growth, tissue differentiation and sexual sporulation. In spite of more than a century of research, our understanding of the molecular details of fruiting body morphogenesis is still limited and a general synthesis on the genetics of this complex process is lacking. In this paper, we aim at a comprehensive identification of conserved genes related to fruiting body morphogenesis and distil novel functional hypotheses for functionally poorly characterised ones. As a result of this analysis, we report 921 conserved developmentally expressed gene families, only a few dozens of which have previously been reported to be involved in fruiting body development. Based on literature data, conserved expression patterns and functional annotations, we provide hypotheses on the potential role of these gene families in fruiting body development, yielding the most complete description of molecular processes in fruiting body morphogenesis to date. We discuss genes related to the initiation of fruiting, differentiation, growth, cell surface and cell wall, defence, transcriptional regulation as well as signal transduction. Based on these data we derive a general model of fruiting body development, which includes an early, proliferative phase that is mostly concerned with laying out the mushroom body plan (via cell division and differentiation), and a second phase of growth via cell expansion as well as meiotic events and sporulation. Altogether, our discussions cover 1 480 genes of Coprinopsis cinerea, and their orthologs in Agaricus bisporus, Cyclocybe aegerita, Armillaria ostoyae, Auriculariopsis ampla, Laccaria bicolor, Lentinula edodes, Lentinus tigrinus, Mycena kentingensis, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Schizophyllum commune, providing functional hypotheses for ~10 % of genes in the genomes of these species. Although experimental evidence for the role of these genes will need to be established in the future, our data provide a roadmap for guiding functional analyses of fruiting related genes in the Agaricomycetes. We anticipate that the gene compendium presented here, combined with developments in functional genomics approaches will contribute to uncovering the genetic bases of one of the most spectacular multicellular developmental processes in fungi. Citation: Nagy LG, Vonk PJ, Künzler M, Földi C, Virágh M, Ohm RA, Hennicke F, Bálint B, Csernetics Á, Hegedüs B, Hou Z, Liu XB, Nan S, M. Pareek M, Sahu N, Szathmári B, Varga T, Wu W, Yang X, Merényi Z (2023). Lessons on fruiting body morphogenesis from genomes and transcriptomes of Agaricomycetes. Studies in Mycology 104: 1-85. doi: 10.3114/sim.2022.104.01.

PbUGT72AJ2-Mediated Glycosylation Plays an Important Role in Lignin Formation and Stone Cell Development in Pears (Pyrus bretschneideri)

Glycosylation is necessary for many processes of plant secondary metabolism. It can maintain plant homeostasis and is of great significance to normal plant growth and development. At present, the significance of glycosylation for lignin biosynthesis has been proven in some plants, but it has not yet been reported in pears. We used in situ hybridization, in vitro expression, substrate catalysis, transgenic Arabidopsisthaliana, and transient transformation of pear fruit in our investigation, which was predicated on the identification of a gene PbUGT72AJ2 that may be involved in lignin monolignol glycosylation according to our previous work. These results revealed that PbUGT72AJ2 transcripts were localized to some pulp cell walls, lignin deposition, and stone cell areas of pear fruit. The recombinant PbUGT72AJ2-pGEX4T-1 protein had activity against coniferyl alcohol and sinapyl alcohol, and its catalytic efficiency against coniferyl alcohol was higher than that against sinapyl alcohol. When PbUGT72AJ2 was transferred into Arabidopsisthaliana mutants, it was found that some characteristics of Arabidopsisthalianaugt72e3 mutants were restored. In Arabidopsisthaliana, overexpression of PbUGT72AJ2 enhanced the contents of coniferin and syringin, whereas lignification did not change significantly. Transient transformation of pear fruit showed that when PbUGT72AJ2 in pear fruit was silenced by RNA interference, the content of lignin and stone cells in pear fruit increased, whereas the gene PbUGT72AJ2 was overexpressed in pear fruit, and there was almost no change in the pear fruit compared with the control. Lignin deposition in pear fruit was closely related to stone cell development. In this study, we proved that PbUGT72AJ2 plays an important role in lignin deposition and stone cell development in pear fruit, which provides a molecular biological basis for improving pear fruit quality at the molecular level.

MAPK CcSakA of the HOG Pathway Is Involved in Stipe Elongation during Fruiting Body Development in Coprinopsis cinerea

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, such as the high-osmolarity glycerol mitogen-activated protein kinase (HOG) pathway, are evolutionarily conserved signaling modules responsible for transmitting environmental stress signals in eukaryotic organisms. Here, we identified the MAPK homologue in the HOG pathway of Coprinopsis cinerea, which was named CcSakA. Furthermore, during the development of the fruiting body, CcSakA was phosphorylated in the fast elongating apical part of the stipe, which meant that CcSakA was activated in the apical elongating stipe region of the fruiting body. The knockdown of CcSakA resulted in a shorter stipe of the fruiting body compared to the control strain, and the expression of phosphomimicking mutant CcSakA led to a longer stipe of the fruiting body compared to the control strain. The chitinase CcChiE1, which plays a key role during stipe elongation, was downregulated in the CcSakA knockdown strains and upregulated in the CcSakA phosphomimicking mutant strains. The results indicated that CcSakA participated in the elongation of stipes in the fruiting body development of C. cinerea by regulating the expression of CcChiE1. Analysis of the H₂O₂ concentration in different parts of the stipe showed that the oxidative stress in the elongating part of the stipe was higher than those in the non-elongating part. The results indicated that CcSakA of the HOG pathway may be activated by oxidative stress. Our results demonstrated that the HOG pathway transmits stress signals and regulates the expression of CcChiE1 during fruiting body development in C. cinerea.

Analysis of the β-Glucosidase Family Reveals Genes Involved in the Lignification of Stone Cells in Chinese White Pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.)

BGLU β-glucosidases in glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1) are involved in many processes of plant secondary metabolism. In particular, its de-glycosylation function plays an important role in the transport of lignin monolignols. No comprehensive study of the BGLU family in Chinese pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.) has been reported yet. In this study, the 50 BGLU family members from Chinese white pear were identified. Three candidate genes, PbBGLU1, PbBGLU15, and PbBGLU16, that may be involved in lignin synthesis were screened by bioinformatics analysis and qRT-PCR. Subcellular localization showed that all three of these candidate genes were expressed in the extracellular region. Then, we analyzed the functions of PbBGLU1 and PbBGLU16. In situ hybridization analysis showed that PbBGLU1 transcripts were not only localized to some pulp cell walls, lignin deposition, and stone cell areas of a pear fruit, but that was also a small amount of enrichment in normal pear flesh cells. PbBGLU16 transcripts were only enriched in lignin deposition and stone cell areas of pear fruit. Enzyme activity analysis revealed that GST-PbBGLU1 and GST-PbBGLU16 had a stronger activity and higher catalytic efficiency for coniferin than syringin. In addition, GST-PbBGLU16 exhibited the higher activity and catalytic efficiency for the two substrates compared with GST-PbBGLU1. The transformation of PbBGLU1 and PbBGLU16 into Arabidopsis identified that the lignin contents of Arabidopsis BGLU-45 mutant, PbBGLU1-RE, and PbBGLU16-RE were not changed than that of wild-type. However, compared with wild-type Arabidopsis, the overexpression of the plant's lignin increased in varying degrees. The effect of PbBGLU16 on the lignin increment was greater than that of PbBGLU1 in Arabidopsis. In pear fruits, with transient overexpression of PbBGLU1, the contents of lignin and stone cells were significantly higher (0.01 < P < 0.05) than those with empty vector injection pear fruits. After transient expression of PbBGLU16, lignin in pear fruit increased significantly (0.01 < P < 0.05) and stone cells showed a very significant difference (P < 0.01) compared with the control group. However, RNA interference silenced these two genes in pear fruit, which seemed to have no impression on lignin and stone cells. This study provides a molecular biological basis for improving pear fruit quality at the molecular level.

Molecular Mechanism by Which the GATA Transcription Factor CcNsdD2 Regulates the Developmental Fate of Coprinopsis cinerea under Dark or Light Conditions

Coprinopsis cinerea has seven homologs of the Aspergillus nidulans transcription factor NsdD. Of these, CcNsdD1 and CcNsdD2 from C. cinerea show the best identities of 62 and 50% to A. nidulans NsdD, respectively. After 4 days of constant darkness cultivation, CcnsdD2, but not CcnsdD1, was upregulated on the first day of light/dark cultivation to induce fruiting bodies, and overexpression of CcnsdD2, but not CcnsdD1, produced more fruiting bodies under a light/dark rhythm. Although single knockdown of CcnsdD2 did not affect fruiting body production due to upregulation of its homolog CcnsdD1, the double-knockdown CcNsdD1/NsdD2-RNAi transformant showed defects in fruiting body formation under a light/dark rhythm. Knockdown of CcnsdD1/nsdD2 led to the differentiation of primary hyphal knots into sclerotia rather than secondary hyphal knots under a light/dark rhythm, similar to the differentiation of primary hyphal knots into sclerotia of the wild-type strain under darkness. The CcNsdD2-overexpressing transformant produced more primary hyphal knots, secondary hyphal knots, and fruiting bodies under a light/dark rhythm but only more primary hyphal knots and sclerotia under darkness. RNA-seq revealed that some genes reported previously to be involved in formation of hyphal knots and primordia, cyclopropane-fatty-acyl-phospholipid synthases cfs1-3, galectins cgl1-3, and hydrophobins hyd1-3 were downregulated in the CcNsdD1/NsdD2-RNAi transformant compared to the mock transformant. ChIP-seq and electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that CcNsdD2 bound to promoter regulatory sequences containing a GATC motif in cfs1, cfs2, cgl1, and hyd1. A molecular mechanism by which CcNsdD2 regulates the developmental fate of C. cinerea under dark or light conditions is proposed. IMPORTANCE The model mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea exhibits remarkable photomorphogenesis during fruiting body development. This study reports that the C. cinerea transcription factor CcNsdD2 promotes primary hyphal knot formation by upregulating cfs1, cfs2, cgl1, and hyd1. Although the induction of CcnsdD2 is not under direct control of light and photoreceptors, the CcNsdD2-mediated developmental fates of the primary hyphal knots depend on the following light/dark rhythm cultivation or dark cultivation after full growth of mycelia in the constant dark cultivation. This study provides new insight into the molecular mechanism by which CcNsdD2 regulates the developmental fate of C. cinerea under dark or light conditions. In addition, the result that overexpression of CcnsdD2 induced more secondary hyphal knots, primordia, and fruiting bodies under light/dark rhythm cultivation conditions has potential applied value in the edible mushroom industry.

Chitinases Play a Key Role in Stipe Cell Wall Extension in the Mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea

The elongation growth of the mushroom stipe is a characteristic but not well-understood morphogenetic event of basidiomycetes. We found that extending native stipe cell walls of Coprinopsis cinerea were associated with the release of N-acetylglucosamine and chitinbiose and with chitinase activity. Two chitinases among all detected chitinases from C. cinerea, ChiE1 and ChiIII, reconstituted heat-inactivated stipe wall extension and released N-acetylglucosamine and chitinbiose. Interestingly, both ChiE1 and ChiIII hydrolyze insoluble crystalline chitin powder, while other C. cinerea chitinases do not, suggesting that crystalline chitin components of the stipe cell wall are the target of action for ChiE1 and ChiIII. ChiE1- or ChiIII-reconstituted heat-inactivated stipe walls showed maximal extension activity at pH 4.5, consistent with the optimal pH for native stipe wall extension in vitro; ChiE1- or ChiIII-reconstituted heat-inactivated stipe wall extension activities were associated with stipe elongation growth regions; and the combination of ChiE1 and ChiIII showed a synergism to reconstitute heat-inactivated stipe wall extension at a low action concentration. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images showed that the inner surface of acid-induced extended native stipe cell walls and ChiE1- or ChiIII-reconstituted extended heat-inactivated stipe cell walls exhibited a partially broken parallel microfibril architecture; however, these broken transversely arranged microfibrils were not observed in the unextended stipe cell walls that were induced by neutral pH buffer or heat inactivation. Double knockdown of ChiE1 and ChiIII resulted in the reduction of stipe elongation, mycelium growth, and heat-sensitive cell wall extension of native stipes. These results indicate a chitinase-hydrolyzing mechanism for stipe cell wall extension.IMPORTANCE A remarkable feature in the development of basidiomycete fruiting bodies is stipe elongation growth that results primarily from manifold cell elongation. Some scientists have suggested that stipe elongation is the result of enzymatic hydrolysis of cell wall polysaccharides, while other scientists have proposed the possibility that stipe elongation results from nonhydrolytic disruption of the hydrogen bonds between cell wall polysaccharides. Here, we show direct evidence for a chitinase-hydrolyzing mechanism of stipe cell wall elongation in the model mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea that is different from the expansin nonhydrolysis mechanism of plant cell wall extension. We presumed that in the growing stipe cell walls, parallel chitin microfibrils are tethered by β-1,6-branched β-1,3-glucans, and that the breaking of the tether by chitinases leads to separation of these microfibrils to increase their spacing for insertion of new synthesized chitin and β-1,3-glucans under turgor pressure in vivo.

The good, the bad and the tasty: The many roles of mushrooms

Fungi are often inconspicuous in nature and this means it is all too easy to overlook their importance. Often referred to as the "Forgotten Kingdom", fungi are key components of life on this planet. The phylum Basidiomycota, considered to contain the most complex and evolutionarily advanced members of this Kingdom, includes some of the most iconic fungal species such as the gilled mushrooms, puffballs and bracket fungi. Basidiomycetes inhabit a wide range of ecological niches, carrying out vital ecosystem roles, particularly in carbon cycling and as symbiotic partners with a range of other organisms. Specifically in the context of human use, the basidiomycetes are a highly valuable food source and are increasingly medicinally important. In this review, seven main categories, or 'roles', for basidiomycetes have been suggested by the authors: as model species, edible species, toxic species, medicinal basidiomycetes, symbionts, decomposers and pathogens, and two species have been chosen as representatives of each category. Although this is in no way an exhaustive discussion of the importance of basidiomycetes, this review aims to give a broad overview of the importance of these organisms, exploring the various ways they can be exploited to the benefit of human society.

Functional analysis of Agaricus bisporus serine proteinase 1 reveals roles in utilization of humic rich substrates and adaptation to the leaf-litter ecological niche

Agaricus bisporus is a secondary decomposer fungus and an excellent model for the adaptation, persistence and growth of fungi in humic‐rich environments such as soils of temperate woodland and pastures. The A. bisporus serine proteinase SPR1 is induced by humic acids and is highly expressed during growth on compost. Three Spr1 gene silencing cassettes were constructed around sense, antisense and non‐translatable‐stop strategies (pGRsensehph, pGRantihph and pGRstophph). Transformation of A. bisporus with these cassettes generated cultures showing a reduction in extracellular proteinase activity as demonstrated by the reduction, or abolition, of a clearing zone on plate‐based bioassays. These lines were then assessed by detailed enzyme assay, RT‐qPCR and fruiting. Serine proteinase activity in liquid cultures was reduced in 83% of transformants. RT‐qPCR showed reduced Spr1 mRNA levels in all transformants analysed, and these correlated with reduced enzyme activity. When fruiting was induced, highly‐silenced transformant AS5 failed to colonize the compost, whilst for those that did colonize the compost, 60% gave a reduction in mushroom yield. Transcriptional, biochemical and developmental observations, demonstrate that SPR1 has an important role in nutrient acquisition in compost and that SPR1 is a key enzyme in the adaptation of Agaricus to the humic‐rich ecological niche formed during biomass degradation.

A DNA damage checkpoint pathway coordinates the division of dikaryotic cells in the ink cap mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea

The fungal fruiting body or mushroom is a multicellular structure essential for sexual reproduction. It is composed of dikaryotic cells that contain one haploid nucleus from each mating partner sharing the same cytoplasm without undergoing nuclear fusion. In the mushroom, the pileus bears the hymenium, a layer of cells that includes the specialized basidia in which nuclear fusion, meiosis, and sporulation occur. Coprinopsis cinerea is a well-known model fungus used to study developmental processes associated with the formation of the fruiting body. Here we describe that knocking down the expression of Atr1 and Chk1, two kinases shown to be involved in the response to DNA damage in a number of eukaryotic organisms, dramatically impairs the ability to develop fruiting bodies in C. cinerea, as well as other developmental decisions such as sclerotia formation. These developmental defects correlated with the impairment in silenced strains to sustain an appropriated dikaryotic cell cycle. Dikaryotic cells in which chk1 or atr1 genes were silenced displayed a higher level of asynchronous mitosis and as a consequence aberrant cells carrying an unbalanced dose of nuclei. Since fruiting body initiation is dependent on the balanced mating-type regulator doses present in the dikaryon, we believe that the observed developmental defects were a consequence of the impaired cell cycle in the dikaryon. Our results suggest a connection between the DNA damage response cascade, cell cycle regulation, and developmental processes in this fungus.

Transcriptomic analysis of the interactions between Agaricus bisporus and Lecanicillium fungicola

Agaricus bisporus is susceptible to a number of diseases, particularly those caused by fungi, with Lecanicillium fungicola being the most serious. Control of this disease is important for the security of crop production, however given the lack of knowledge about fungal-fungal interactions, such disease control is rather limited. Exploiting the recently released genome sequence of A. bisporus, here we report studies simultaneously investigating both the host and the pathogen, focussing on transcriptional changes associated with the cap spotting lesions typically seen in this interaction. Forward-suppressive subtractive hybridisation (SSH) analysis identified 68 A. bisporus unigenes induced during infection. Chitin deacetylase showed the strongest response, with almost 1000-fold up-regulation during infection, so was targeted for down-regulation by silencing to see if it was involved in defence against L. fungicola. Transgenic lines were made expressing hairpin RNAi constructs, however no changes in susceptibility to L. fungicola were observed. Amongst the other up-regulated genes there were none with readily apparent roles in resisting infection in this susceptible interaction. Reverse-SSH identified 72 unigenes from A. bisporus showing reduced expression, including two tyrosinases, several genes involved in nitrogen metabolism and a hydrophobin. The forward-SSH analysis of infected mushrooms also yielded 64 unigenes which were not of A. bisporus origin and thus derived from L. fungicola. An EST analysis of infection-mimicking conditions generated an additional 623 unigenes from L. fungicola including several oxidoreductases, cell wall degrading enzymes, ABC and MFS transporter proteins and various other genes believed to play roles in other pathosystems. Together, this analysis shows how both the pathogen and the host modify their gene expression during an infection-interaction, shedding some light on the disease process, although we note that some 40% of unigenes from both organisms encode hypothetical proteins with no ascribed function which highlights how much there is still to discover about this interaction.

Characterization of a gene coding for a putative adenosine deaminase-related growth factor by RNA interference in the basidiomycete Flammulina velutipes

A full-length cDNA coding for a putative adenosine deaminase (Fv-ada) was isolated from the basidiomycete Flammulina velutipes. Fv-ada encodes a polypeptide consisting of 537 amino acid residues, which has a consensus sequence conserved among adenosine deaminase-related growth factors (ADGF) found in several metazoa, including chordates and insects. Fv-ada transcript was detected at all stages of growth in dikaryotic F. velutipes cells, with a peak at the primordial stage. Heterologous expression of Fv-ada in the yeast Pichia pastoris produced recombinant Fv-ADA that catalyzed the conversion of adenosine to inosine. Dikaryotic mycelia from F. velutipes were transformed with the binary plasmid pFungiway-Fv-ada, which was designed to suppress the expression of Fv-ada through RNA interference. The growth rates of the resulting transformants were retarded in response to the degree of suppression, indicating that Fv-ada plays an important role in the mycelial growth of F. velutipes. These results suggested that ADGF could function as growth factors in fungi, as is seen in other eukaryotes.

Inadvertent gene silencing of argininosuccinate synthase (bcass1) in Botrytis cinerea by the pLOB1 vector system

For several years, researchers working on the plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea and a number of other related fungi have routinely used the pLOB1 vector system, based on hygromycin resistance, under the control of the Aspergillus nidulans oliC promoter and what was reported to be the beta-tubulin (tubA) terminator. Recently, it has been demonstrated that this vector contains a 446-bp portion of the B. cinerea argininosuccinate synthase gene (bcass1) rather than the tubA terminator. As argininosuccinate synthase is essential for the production of L-arginine, inadvertent gene silencing of bcass1 may result in partial L-arginine auxotrophy and, indeed, may lead to altered phenotypes in planta. In this article, we report our findings relating to possible problems arising from this incorrect plasmid construction. As an absolute baseline, gene disruption of bcass1 was carried out and generated a strict auxotroph, unable to grow without exogenous arginine supplementation. The knockout displayed an alteration in host range in planta, showing a reduction in pathogenicity on strawberries, French bean leaves and tomatoes, but maintained wild-type growth on grape, which is in accordance with the reported arginine availability in such tissues. Deliberate gene silencing of bcass1 mirrored these effects, with strongly silenced lines showing reduced virulence. The degree of silencing as seen by partial auxotrophy was correlated with an observed reduction in virulence. We also showed that inadvertent silencing of bcass1 is possible when using the pLOB1 vector or derivatives thereof. Partial arginine auxotrophy and concomitant reductions in virulence were triggered in approximately 6% of transformants obtained when expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein, luciferase, monomeric red fluorescent protein or beta-glucuronidase using the pLOB1-based expression system, which inadvertently contains 446 bp of the bcass1 coding sequence. We recommend the testing of transformants obtained using this vector system for arginine auxotrophy in order to provide assurance that any observed effects on the development or virulence are a result of the desired genetic alteration rather than accidental bcass1 silencing.

Improvement of the Coprinopsis cinerea molecular toolkit using new construct design and additional marker genes

This paper describes the optimisation of an existing basidiomycete molecular toolkit through the development of new versatile vectors. These vectors enable the straightforward and rapid construction of gene expression and silencing cassettes by allowing the easy exchange of promoters, coding regions and terminator elements. The constructs contain multiple cloning sites (MCS) allowing any gene to be inserted using a range of restriction sites, with the option of a 5' integral intron for efficient gene expression. We describe the testing of these vectors through marker gene expression in Coprinopsis cinerea. This work also extends the range of marker genes available for use in C. cinerea with the first report of DsRed and monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP) expression in C. cinerea and further demonstrates the requirement for an intron in the expression cassette for some marker genes. However, analysis of transformants containing either beta-glucuronidase (GUS) or luciferase (LUC) genes, with and without an intron revealed no detectable marker gene expression. The inclusion of an intron does therefore not guarantee expression and other genetic factors may be involved.

Basidiomycete mating type genes and pheromone signaling

The genome sequences of the basidiomycete Agaricomycetes species Coprinopsis cinerea, Laccaria bicolor, Schizophyllum commune, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, and Postia placenta, as well as of Cryptococcus neoformans and Ustilago maydis, are now publicly available. Out of these fungi, C. cinerea, S. commune, and U. maydis, together with the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, have been investigated for years genetically and molecularly for signaling in sexual reproduction. The comparison of the structure and organization of mating type genes in fungal genomes reveals an amazing conservation of genes regulating the sexual reproduction throughout the fungal kingdom. In agaricomycetes, two mating type loci, A, coding for homeodomain type transcription factors, and B, encoding a pheromone/receptor system, regulate the four typical mating interactions of tetrapolar species. Evidence for both A and B mating type genes can also be identified in basidiomycetes with bipolar systems, where only two mating interactions are seen. In some of these fungi, the B locus has lost its self/nonself discrimination ability and thus its specificity while retaining the other regulatory functions in development. In silico analyses now also permit the identification of putative components of the pheromone-dependent signaling pathways. Induction of these signaling cascades leads to development of dikaryotic mycelia, fruiting body formation, and meiotic spore production. In pheromone-dependent signaling, the role of heterotrimeric G proteins, components of a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, and cyclic AMP-dependent pathways can now be defined. Additionally, the pheromone-dependent signaling through monomeric, small GTPases potentially involved in creating the polarized cytoskeleton for reciprocal nuclear exchange and migration during mating is predicted.

Establishing molecular tools for genetic manipulation of the pleuromutilin-producing fungus Clitopilus passeckerianus

We describe efficient polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation systems for a pharmaceutically important basidiomycete fungus, Clitopilus passeckerianus, which produces pleuromutilin, a diterpene antibiotic. Three dominant selectable marker systems based on hygromycin, phleomycin, and carboxin selection were used to study the feasibility of PEG-mediated transformation of C. passeckerianus. The PEG-mediated transformation of C. passeckerianus protoplasts was successful and generated hygromycin-resistant transformants more efficiently than either phleomycin or carboxin resistance. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with plasmid pBGgHg containing hph gene under the control of the Agaricus bisporus gpdII promoter led to hygromycin-resistant colonies and was successful when homogenized mycelium and fruiting body gill tissue were used as starting material. Southern blot analysis of transformants revealed the apparently random integration of the transforming DNA to be predominantly multiple copies for the PEG-mediated system and a single copy for the Agrobacterium-mediated system within the genome. C. passeckerianus actin and tubulin promoters were amplified from genomic DNA and proved successful in driving green fluorescent protein and DsRed expression in C. passeckerianus, but only when constructs contained a 5' intron, demonstrating that the presence of an intron is prerequisite for efficient transgene expression. The feasibility of RNA interference-mediated gene silencing was investigated using gfp as a target gene easily scored in C. passeckerianus. Upon transformation of gfp antisense constructs into a highly fluorescent strain, transformants were recovered that exhibited either reduced or undetectable fluorescence. This was confirmed by Northern blotting showing depletion of the target mRNA levels. This demonstrated that gene silencing is a suitable tool for modulating gene expression in C. passeckerianus. The molecular tools developed in this study should facilitate studies aimed at gene isolation or characterization in this pharmaceutically important species.

Investigating dominant selection markers for Coprinopsis cinerea: a carboxin resistance system and re-evaluation of hygromycin and phleomycin resistance vectors

Dominant selectable markers are beneficial for transformation of many fungi, particularly those model species where repeated transformations may be required. A carboxin resistance allele of the Coprinopsis cinerea sdi1 gene, encoding the iron-sulphur protein subunit of succinate dehydrogenase, was developed by introducing a suitable point mutation in the histidine block responsible for binding of the associated iron ion. This modified gene was used successfully to confer carboxin resistance upon transformation of C. cinerea protoplasts. Plasmids previously used to establish hygromycin transformation systems of several basidiomycete species, such as pAN7-1 and phph004, failed to give rise to hygromycin-resistant transformants of C. cinerea, whilst pPHT1 was successful. Sequencing of these constructs showed that the hygromycin resistance gene in pAN7-1 and phph004 had been modified removing the codons encoding two lysine residues following the N-terminal methionine. Replacement of the deleted 6 bp (AAA AAG) in the truncated hph gene led to generation of hygromycin-resistant transformants indicating the importance of these two codons for expression in C. cinerea. Phleomycin-resistant (ble) transformants were also obtained, but only with the intron-containing construct pblei004, showing that an intron is necessary to obtain phleomycin-resistant C. cinerea. This contrasts with hygromycin-resistance, where introns are not required for expression, emphasising the variability in importance of these elements.

dsRNA-induced gene silencing in Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease of cacao

The genome sequence of the hemibiotrophic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa revealed genes possibly participating in the RNAi machinery. Therefore, studies were performed in order to investigate the efficiency of gene silencing by dsRNA. We showed that the reporter gfp gene stably introduced into the fungus genome can be silenced by transfection of in vitro synthesized gfpdsRNA. In addition, successful dsRNA-induced silencing of endogenous genes coding for hydrophobins and a peroxiredoxin were also achieved. All genes showed a silencing efficiency ranging from 18% to 98% when compared to controls even 28d after dsRNA treatment, suggesting systemic silencing. Reduction of GFP fluorescence, peroxidase activity levels and survival responses to H(2)O(2) were consistent with the reduction of GFP and peroxidase mRNA levels, respectively. dsRNA transformation of M. perniciosa is shown here to efficiently promote genetic knockdown and can thus be used to assess gene function in this pathogen.

Coprinopsis cinerea as a model fungus to evaluate genes underlying sexual development in basidiomycetes

Coprinopsis cinerea is an excellent model for study of sexual reproduction and development in basidiomycetes because of its short-life cycle, capability to grow and fruit on artificial media under laboratory conditions. Deepening the understanding of genes underlying sexual reproduction and development in this mushroom model is expected to help in the future the world mushroom cultivation of any other basidiomycetes concerning the potential agronomic, economic and environmental benefits. This study presents findings with clear statements from the literature as well as own results focusing on the genetic analysis of genes acting in sexual reproduction and development in C. cinerea. Sexual reproduction and development in C. cinerea are regulated by the A and B mating type genes that encode two types of homeodomain transcription factors, pheromones and pheromone receptors, respectively. Coprinopsis cinerea has two different mycelial stages defined as the monokaryotic-(primary) and dikaryotic-(secondary) mycelium. When two compatible haploid monokaryons with different mating type alleles at A and B loci are fused, the fertile dikaryons are formed and developed into fruiting bodies, indicating that mating type genes regulate sexual development in C. cinerea. Self-fertile homokaryon AmutBmut strain with mutations in the A and B mating loci is ideal for production of mutants in fruiting body formation. Co-isogenic strains were generated by the repeated back-crossing against AmutBmut to analyze the genetic background of such mutants and the functions of genes in the fruiting pathway. Genetic analysis of AmutBmut fruiting mutants that are blocked at different stages in fruiting pathway will be described.

pHg/pSILBAγ vector system for efficient gene silencing in homobasidiomycetes: optimization of ihpRNA - triggering in the mycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor

pSILBAγ silencing vector was constructed for efficient RNA silencing triggering in the model mycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor. This cloning vector carries the Agaricus bisporus gpdII promoter, two multiple cloning sites separated by a L. bicolor nitrate reductase intron and the Aspergillus nidulans trpC terminator. pSILBAγ allows an easy oriented two‐step PCR cloning of hairpin sequences to be expressed in basidiomycetes. With one further cloning step into pHg, a pCAMBIA1300‐based binary vector carrying a hygromycin resistance cassette, the pHg/pSILBAγ plasmid is used for Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation. The pHg/pSILBAγ system results in predominantly single integrations of RNA silencing triggering T‐DNAs in the fungal genome and the integration sites of the transgenes can be resolved by plasmid rescue. pSILBAγ construct and two other pSILBA plasmid variants (pSILBA and pSILBAα) were evaluated for their capacity to silence Laccaria nitrate reductase gene. While all pSILBA variants tested resulted in up to 65–76% of transformants with reduced growth on nitrate, pSILBAγ produced the highest number (65%) of strongly affected fungal strains. The strongly silenced phenotype was shown to correlate with T‐DNA integration in transcriptionally active genomic sites. pHg/pSILBAγ was shown to produce T‐DNAs with minimum CpG methylation in transgene promoter regions which assures the maximum silencing trigger production in Laccaria. Methylation of the target endogene was only slight in RNA silencing triggered with constructs carrying an intronic spacer hairpin sequence. The silencing capacity of the pHg/pSILBAγ was further tested with Laccaria inositol‐1,4,5‐triphosphate 5‐phosphatase gene. Besides its use in silencing triggering, the herein described plasmid system can also be used for transgene expression in Laccaria. pHg/pSILBAγ silencing system is optimized for L. bicolor but it should be highly useful also for other homobasidiomycetes, group of fungi currently lacking molecular tools for RNA silencing.

Fungal type I polyketide synthases

Fungi produce a wide variety of biologically active compounds, a large proportion of which are produced by the polyketide biosynthetic pathway. Fungal polyketides comprise a very large and structurally very diverse group, and many display important biological activities, including lovastatin, aflatoxins, and strobilurins. These are produced by very large multifunctional iterative enzymes, the iterative type I polyketide synthases (PKSs) whose closest structural and functional analogues are the mammalian fatty acid synthases. Although fungal polyketides were one of the first classes of secondary metabolites to be subject to extensive biosynthetic studies, they remain the least studied and understood at the enzyme level. This chapter presents an overview of methodologies that have been applied to in vivo and in vitro genetic and biochemical studies on the PKSs responsible for both aromatic and highly reduced polyketide metabolites, and which are providing an improved insight into how these highly complex enzymes function.

Characterization of serine proteinase expression in Agaricus bisporus and Coprinopsis cinerea by using green fluorescent protein and the A. bisporus SPR1 promoter

The Agaricus bisporus serine proteinase 1 (SPR1) appears to be significant in both mycelial nutrition and senescence of the fruiting body. We report on the construction of an SPR promoter::green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion cassette, pGreen_hph1_SPR_GFP, for the investigation of temporal and developmental expression of SPR1 in homobasidiomycetes and to determine how expression is linked to physiological and environmental stimuli. Monitoring of A. bisporus pGreen_hph1_SPR_GFP transformants on media rich in ammonia or containing different nitrogen sources demonstrated that SPR1 is produced in response to available nitrogen. In A. bisporus fruiting bodies, GFP activity was localized to the stipe of postharvest senescing sporophores. pGreen_hph1_SPR_GFP was also transformed into the model basidiomycete Coprinopsis cinerea. Endogenous C. cinerea proteinase activity was profiled during liquid culture and fruiting body development. Maximum activity was observed in the mature cap, while activity dropped during autolysis. Analysis of the C. cinerea genome revealed seven genes showing significant homology to the A. bisporus SPR1 and SPR2 genes. These genes contain the aspartic acid, histidine, and serine residues common to serine proteinases. Analysis of the promoter regions revealed at least one CreA and several AreA regulatory motifs in all sequences. Fruiting was induced in C. cinerea dikaryons, and fluorescence was determined in different developmental stages. GFP expression was observed throughout the life cycle, demonstrating that serine proteinase can be active in all stages of C. cinerea fruiting body development. Serine proteinase expression (GFP fluorescence) was most concentrated during development of young tissue, which may be indicative of high protein turnover during cell differentiation.

The pOT and pLOB vector systems: improving ease of transgene expression in Botrytis cinerea

This paper outlines the construction of a novel vector system comprising interchangeable terminators, as well as a multiple cloning site (MCS), to facilitate the transformation of the fungal plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea. Previous molecular studies on B. cinerea have relied upon the pLOB1 based vector system (controlled by the Aspergillus nidulans oliC promoter and a region reported to be the B. cinerea tubA terminator). Investigations, however, have revealed that, rather than the genuine B. cinerea tubA terminator, the pLOB1 terminator fragment is from another gene locus within the genome. Because previous studies have found that terminators aide in transcript stability, the main aims of this study were to develop and evaluate both vector systems, pOT (controlled by the A. nidulans oliC promoter and A. nidulans trpC terminator) and pLOB, with a range of exogenous genes, including enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP), luciferase (LUC) and beta-glucuronidase (GUS). Our investigations demonstrate that pLOB and pOT based vectors are capable of expressing all four reporter genes and may be applied to future molecular studies on B. cinerea and other related ascomycetes. Additionally, this is the first reported expression of mRFP and LUC in B. cinerea.

Oligonucleotide sequences forming short self-complimentary hairpins can expedite the down-regulation of Coprinopsis cinerea genes

Gene silencing in fungi is often induced by dsRNA hairpin forming constructs the preparation of which can require multiple cloning steps. To simplify gene silencing in the filamentous fungi we have evaluated a high throughput cloning method for target sequences using the homobasidiomycete Coprinopsis cinerea, the GFP reporter and a commercially available vector system. The pSUPER RNAi System, which was developed for mammalian experiments, exploits the human H1 Polymerase III (Pol III) RNA gene promoter and expedites cloning/expression of specific user-defined oligonucleotide sequences to form short self-complimentary hairpins. Transformation of C. cinerea with pSUPER constructs harboring specific oligonucleotides (19 nt stem length) enabled recovery of transformants with reduced transcripts of the GFP transgene, that were less fluorescent in protein assays and microscopic phenotypes. This technological advance should expedite functional genomic studies in C. cinerea and has wider potential for utility in other homobasidiomycete and filamentous fungi.

Hairpin-mediated down-regulation of the urea cycle enzyme argininosuccinate lyase in Agaricus bisporus

A double-stranded (ds) RNA hairpin-mediated down-regulation system was developed for the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus, and the role of the urea cycle enzyme argininosuccinate lyase (asl) in mushroom post-harvest development was investigated. Hairpin expression vectors were constructed to initiate down-regulation of asl and introduced into A. bisporus by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Transcripts of asl were significantly reduced (93.1 and 99.9%) in two transformants and hairpin vector transgene sequences were maintained throughout sporophore development. Single and multiple hairpin integration events were observed in Southern analysis. Transformants with down-regulated asl exhibited reduced yield and cap expansion during post-harvest sporophore development. There were no detectable differences in urea levels between the hairpin-transformed and control strains. This is the first report of reduced gene expression resulting from the introduction of dsRNA hairpins in A. bisporus and the applications of this technology will facilitate functional studies in the mushroom.