Mycoscience最新文献

Sclerotinia borealis is among the most psychrophilic snow mold pathogen, mainly attacking Poaceae crops such as winter wheat and forage grasses as well as non-Poaceae plants under snow. Isolates were collected through the extensive surveys from North Atlantic islands through European and Asian Russia to Japan. Morphological characterization as well as the effects of temperature and water potential on mycelial growth defined three varieties, i.e., vars. borealis, subarctica, and okhotskana. Phylogenetic analyses based on ITS and EF1-α regions of genomic DNA indicated the monophyly of S. borealis and supported varietal differentiation.

"Matsushimeji" identified as Tricholoma albobrunneum belonging to sect. Genuina is an edible mushroom commonly used in Japan. This species has been suggested to include another cryptic species with common morphological characteristics and identical internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nuc rDNA). We compared T. albobrunneum specimens sampled in Japan and Denmark, including the holotype. Phylogenetic analyses of nuc rDNA ITS and intergenic spacer 1 (IGS1) regions, and tef-1a and rpb2 genes identified two phylogroups in Japanese T. albobrunneum. In addition, both Japanese phylogroups of T. albobrunneum were distinguished from European T. albobrunneum. Concatenated phylogenetic tree analysis based on these four DNA regions also distinguished two Japanese clades within T. albobrunneum. Here, we report two new species, T. matsushimeji distributed on Honshu Island under two-needle pines and T. miyama-matsushimeji on Rishiri Island under a five-needle pine from Japan.

Astraeus species are valuable edible ectomycorrhizal mushrooms, particularly in Asia. The partial hypogenous nature of Astraeus fruit bodies in soil present challenges for sample collection and studying species distribution. In this study, we developed a PCR-based approach for identifying Astraeus. Two universal primers (AUPF1/AUPR1 and AUPF3/AUPR3) and specific primers for A. asiaticus (AAF4/AAR4), A. odoratus (AOF4/AOR4), and A. sirindhorniae (ASF2/ASR4) were designed based on the alignment of internal transcribed spacer sequences from various Astraeus species. Primer verification was performed by generating amplicons from extracted DNA of Astraeus fruit bodies and 130 soil samples collected from beneath various host plants of Astraeus spp. These novel primers were efficient and precise in identifying Astraeus species. Our results have implications for multi-sample assays for Astraeus identification and investigations into species distribution through large-scale inventories.

The genus Akanthomyces (Ascomycota, Hypocreales) includes entomopathogenic species known to infect a variety of insects and spiders. In this study, we present the first isolate of A. ampullifer characterized by molecular methods, found on dead bodies of the common cave limoniid Limonia nubeculosa (Diptera) in the subterranean spaces of southwestern Germany. In total, seven specimens exhibited distinctive morphological traits that, when compared with historical records, confirm their identification as A. ampullifer-particularly noted for its affinity to dipteran hosts. Absent from culture collections and molecular repositories, this species has eluded detailed scientific documentation using modern methods. Our research bridges this knowledge gap, providing the first genetic identification barcodes of five genes, living culture, cultivation requirements, and an updated description. This overlooked fungus is phylogenetically most closely related to the species A. pyralidarum, A. laosensis, and some other species mostly associated with adult moths. It demonstrates a unique morphological signature with monoblastic phialides forming a layer on the surface of synnemata and produces long, cylindrical, chain-forming conidia. It prefers lower temperatures, exhibiting an inability to grow at 25 °C, coupled with notably slow growth in culture.

We collected in Japan five sporocarpic specimens morphologically identical to those of Epigeocarpum japonicum, a recently described Glomeromycota species. Although 18S-ITS-28S nuc rDNA sequences obtained from these sporocarps showed high sequence variability, phylogenetic analyses based on 18S-ITS-28S, the largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II (rpb1) gene, and concatenated sequences of the two loci convincingly demonstrated the identity of these sporocarps to E. japonicum. Importantly, the 18S-ITS-28S+rpb1 analyses highlighted the key role of rpb1 sequences in reconstructing the phylogenies of Glomeromycota taxa with strongly divergent rDNA sequences. Upon inoculation with sporocarpic spores, E. japonicum formed mycorrhiza with arbuscules and vesicles, which was not confirmed in the original description of the species. Comparisons of E. japonicum 18S sequences with Glomeromycota DNA sequences available in a public database indicated that E. japonicum is a cosmopolitan species and is mainly associated with plants in natural habitats such as grasslands, shrublands, and forests. Phylogenetic analyses also confirmed the autonomy of E. crypticum, another known species of the genus Epigeocarpum whose sporocarps were originally found in Brazil.

Novel Spencermartinsiella strains, JCM 35526^T and 261-2C, were isolated from biofilm formed on a reverse osmosis membrane in the phosphate recovery system of a semiconductor factory. Morphological, biochemical, physiological, and chemotaxonomic analyses as well as sequence analysis of the concatenated internal transcribed spacer region and D1/D2 domains of the large subunit of the rRNA gene confirmed that strains JCM 35526^T and 261-2C, were distinct from all currently known Spencermartinsiella species. The holotype and isotype strains of the new species, which is named Spencermartinsiella japonica, are JCM 35526^T and MUCL 58310^I, respectively.

The mushroom Lentinula edodes, is consumed worldwide and has high industrial value because of its rich content of bioactive compounds such as ergothioneine and eritadenine. Currently, mainstream artificial cultivation methods for this mushroom typically use synthetic logs. However, browning of the stem’s interior (stem browning) has been observed during the cultivation in some L. edodes strains. Although browning does not affect the taste or other qualities of the mushroom, it gives consumers a perception of “poor quality”, and is a major challenge for producers. To identify the genes responsible for stem browning in this mushroom, we performed differential gene expression analysis during stem browning development and quantified it using real-time PCR. Our results indicated that certain oxidoreductases, such as tyrosinase and laccase, were significantly upregulated during the progression of stem browning. The results obtained in the present study provide valuable insights to address the problem of stem browning in mushroom L. edodes.

Aspergillus species take up various metal ions from environment. The morphology of Aspergillus oryzae strains can vary under the influence of various metal ions. Here, the effects of Ti⁴⁺, V³⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, Al³⁺, Fe²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Cu²⁺ on morphological parameters of A. oryzae strains RIB40 and RIB143 were estimated. Colony diameter, conidiation, vesicle head size, and stipe width in both strains varied with concentration. Ti⁴⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, Al³⁺, Fe²⁺, and Ca²⁺ affected conidiation in similar tendency between two strains. The effects of Ti⁴⁺, V³⁺, Sr²⁺, and Ba²⁺ on the morphology of A. oryzae are reported here for the first time. Induction of growth of both strains by 0.0001% Ti⁴⁺ may help the fermentation industry. Induction of conidiation in RIB40 by 0.001% Cu²⁺ confirmed previous results that low concentrations of Cu²⁺ promote the growth of Aspergillus. The most novel finding is that 0.001% Zn²⁺ increased the vesicle head size in RIB40; possible reasons are discussed.

A new species, Leucoagaricus karjaticus, was described from the tropical region of the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India based on morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analysis. Leucoagaricus karjaticus is characterised by its yellowish brown to reddish brown granular scales on the pileus, stipe apex exudes colourless drops, broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid to ovoid basidiospores, clavate to cylindrical, catenulate cheilocystidia with subglobose to cylindrical ante-terminal elements. Further, the molecular markers nrITS and nrLSU sequence data analyses of Leucoagaricus karjaticus with their sister taxa revealed the distinct phylogenetic position of the new species.

Flowering of Henon bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis) was observed in Japan in 2020s. We estimated that the observation of flowering was recorded for the first time in 120 y. Additionally, stromata of Aciculosporium take have also been observed in the flower buds, or spikelets, of Henon bamboo. Aciculosporium take usually forms stromata at the vegetative shoot apex, which presumably originated from ancestral pathogens affecting floral tissues. However, given the infrequent occurrence of bamboo flowering events, it is unclear whether A. take still retains the ability to colonize ovaries of flowers. To ascertain the location where the fungus forms stromata, anatomical and histological analyses were performed. Because flower buds, including floral organs, are fragile, tissue sections were prepared by adhering them to cellophane tape, and subsequently examined using a triple fluorescent staining method. The findings showed that the fungus did not invade the ovaries but formed stromata from the apical rudimentary floret within the flower buds.