Evaluation of agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Agaricus bisporus using a range of promoters linked to hygromycin resistance.

There is interest in establishing genetic modification technologies for the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus, both for improved crop characteristics and for molecular pharming. For these methods to be successful, it is necessary to establish a set of transformation systems that include robust and reliable vectors for gene manipulation. In this article, we report the evaluation of a series of promoters for driving expression of the Escherichia coli hph gene encoding hygromycin phosphotransferase. This was achieved using the Aspergillus nidulans gpdA and the A. bisporus gpdII and trp2 promoters. The Coprinus cinereus beta-tubulin promoter gave contrasting results depending on the size of promoter used, with a 393-bp region being effective, whereas the longer 453-bp fragment failed to yield any hygromycin-resistant transformants. The C. cinereus trp1 and the A. bisporus lcc1 promoters both failed to yield transformants. We also show that transformation efficiency may be improved by careful selection of both appropriate Agrobacterium strains, with AGL-1 yielding more than LBA1126 and by the choice of the binary vectors used to mobilize the DNA, with pCAMBIA vectors appearing to be more efficient than either pBIN19- or pGREEN-based systems.

Differential effect of Agaricus host species on the population development of Megaselia halterata (Diptera: Phoridae).

Twelve isolates from the genus Agaricus (Fungi, Basidiomycota) were investigated for their ability to support development of the phorid fly, Megaselia halterata (Wood), which is an important pest of the commercial white button mushroom Agaricus bisporus. Combined effects of oviposition of adult female M. halterata and larval development in mushroom compost inoculated with Agaricus mycelium were determined using bioassays. The numbers of M. halterata offspring that developed were affected by the Agaricus isolate used, and there was a significant separation between resistant and susceptible isolates. In a bioassay where the female phorids had a choice of all 12 isolates for oviposition, three isolates produced >200 adults per 100 g compost pot while the remaining nine isolates had <20 adults per pot. Where there was no choice of Agaricus isolate for oviposition, five isolates resulted in >100 adults per 100 g compost pot while the remainder resulted in <4 adults per pot. With the susceptible isolates, there was a positive correlation between increasing concentration of mycelium in the substrate and phorid development until the concentration exceeded 40% after which numbers of emerging phorids declined. Genetic identity of Agaricus isolates was determined using ITS sequencing and phylogenetic methods, which revealed two major cluster groups. Isolates supporting the development of large populations of M. halterata were located in one of these clusters (group I), and were either Agaricus bisporus or other species from the same Agaricus section Duploannulatae. Isolates that did not support the development of M. halterata populations were located in a different cluster (group II) and were more genetically distant from A. bisporus, e.g. Agaricus sections Arvenses, Minores and Xanthodermatei. Species of Agaricus with resistance to M. halterata could have significant potential for the breeding and cultivation of phorid-free mushrooms.

Efficient GFP expression in the mushrooms Agaricus bisporus and Coprinus cinereus requires introns.

We have developed a "Molecular Toolkit" comprising interchangeable promoters and marker genes to facilitate transformation of homobasidiomycete mushrooms. We describe the evaluation of a range of promoters in the homobasidiomycetes Agaricus bisporus and Coprinus cinereus using green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter gene; the C. cinereus trp1 promoter and A. bisporus trp2 and gpdII promoters proving successful in driving expression in C. cinereus, with the gpdII promoter also functioning in A. bisporus. Our investigations demonstrate that a prerequisite for GFP expression in C. cinereus and A. bisporus is the presence of an intron. This is the first reported expression of GFP in either C. cinereus or A. bisporus.

RAPD discrimination of Agaricus bisporus mushroom cultivars.

Cultivars of the white button mushroom Agaricus bisporus are difficult to differentiate, which has made strain protection problematic for this crop species. We have used RAPDs to discriminate between 26 strains of A. bisporus, 24 of which were commercial cultivars, and to characterise the genetic relatedness of these strains. Using 20 primers, 211 RAPD markers were identified and used in hierarchical cluster, patristic distance and parsimony analyses. All strains could be differentiated using the aggregated primer data. Although no one primer could differentiate all 26 strains, several individual primers yielded unique fingerprints for a variety of strains. The greatest differences (up to 28% variation) were observed in comparisons with or between two wild collections of A. bisporus. Quondam cultivars, commercial brown and off-white varieties proved more variable than the widely grown 'hybrid' types. Of the 15 hybrid varieties analysed, only one differed substantially (20% or more variable). The patristic and parsimony analyses both demonstrated the gross similarity of the hybrids, many of which appear to be essentially derived varieties from two original hybrid cultivars. RAPD analyses can assist mushroom strain identification and could play a role in the protection of novel cultivars.

The chromosomal region containing pab-1, mip, and the A mating type locus of the secondarily homothallic homobasidiomycete Coprinus bilanatus.

In this paper we describe the cloning of the DNA region containing the A1 mating type genes of the secondarily homothallic mushroom Coprinus bilanatus and compare its organization to that of heterothallic homobasidiomycetes. As in other species, the C. bilanatus A factor contains several different genes that encode two different types of homeodomain transcription factor (HD1 and HD2); and some of these genes are active in the heterologous host C. cinereus. The HD1 and HD2 genes are distributed over two closely linked subloci, Aalpha and Abeta. A gene coding for a mitochondrial intermediate peptidase (mip) directly flanks the Aalpha sublocus. The pab-1 gene, required for para-aminobenzoic acid synthesis, is found 39 kb upstream of mip. The structural arrangement of this chromosomal region closely resembles the heterothallic C. cinereus. In contrast, the Aalpha and Abeta subloci of Schizophyllum commune are further separated, with pab-1 located between the two subloci, suggesting that a translocation event may have occurred during evolution.

Correlation of exons with functional domains and folding regions in a cellulase from Agaricus bisporus.

The cellulase gene cel3 has been isolated from Agaricus bisporus and sequenced. The 5'-end of the cel3 transcript was determined by primer extension and S1 nuclease protection. Putative regulatory elements have been identified in the cel3 promoter and 3'-untranslated regions. The cel3 coding region is interrupted by six short introns, two of which separate the coding regions for the three modules in the CEL3 protein: cellulose-binding domain, linker region, and catalytic domain. Three of the remaining four introns are positioned in regions coding for loops between structural moieties. Intron positions are conserved between cel3 and other related cellulases.

Expression of A mating type genes of Coprinus cinereus in a heterologous basidiomycete host.

The A mating factor of Coprinus cinereus determines compatibility in mating by regulating part of a developmental sequence that leads to dikaryon formation. The A genes that trigger development encode two different classes of homeodomain proteins, and for a successful mating, a protein of one class, HD1, must interact with a protein of the other class, HD2. In this report we show that C. cinereus A genes that encode HD2 proteins, a2-1 and b2-1, can elicit A-regulated development in the heterologous host C. bilanatus. Transformation rates were very low, suggesting that the genes were poorly transcribed. The fact that the HD2 genes are functionally expressed implies successful heteromultimeric association of putative DNA-binding proteins coded by the two Coprinus species. This interaction was sufficient to satisfy the need for different A factors in the formation of a fertile C. bilanatus dikaryon, but fertile dikaryons were more readily produced in matings with the a2-1 gene transformants. The C. cinereus A genes, b1-1 and d1-1, which encode HD1 proteins, were either not expressed or their proteins were non-functional in C. bilanatus. These experiments raise some interesting questions regarding HD1-HD2 protein interactions.

Segregation of genetic markers in the two-spored secondarily homothallic basidiomycete Coprinus bilanatus.

Secondarily homothallic basidiomycetes, of which the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus is an example, produce both self-fertile and non self-fertile spores. The random migration of nuclei from the basidia to give binucleate spores provides the simplest explanation for the regulation of breeding behaviour in this group of fungi. To test the predictions of the random migration hypothesis, the segregation of mating-type, auxotrophy and antimetabolite resistance has been determined in the secondarily homothallic ink-cap fungus, Coprinus bilanatus. In 41 of a total of 56 spore progenies tested, the segregation ratios conformed to the predictions of the random migration hypothesis. Poor fits to the predicted ratios were, in many instances, associated with an adenine auxotrophy. On the basis of the data reported, random migration can be regarded as the primary control of secondary homothallism.