Protoplast fusion betweenLentinula edodes andCoriolus versicolor

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Cell Biology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Protoplast fusion is a key technique in fungal breeding.
• Inter-order fusions are challenging due to natural incompatibility barriers.
• Lentinula edodes and Coriolus versicolor are important fungal species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve and characterize inter-order protoplast fusion between Lentinula edodes and Coriolus versicolor.
• To overcome natural incompatibility between these fungal species.
• To analyze the characteristics of the resulting fusion hybrids.

Main Methods:

• Protoplast isolation from auxotrophic strains of Lentinula edodes (Ile, Arg, Thy) and Coriolus versicolor (Arg).
• Fusion induced using 30% polyethylene glycol (M.W. 4000) in 10 mM CaCl2-glycine solution (pH 8.0).
• Selection of fusion hybrids on 0.6 M sucrose supplemented minimal media based on nutritional complementation.

Main Results:

• Successful inter-order protoplast fusion achieved with a frequency of 7.4x10^-6.
• Fusion hybrids exhibited diverse characteristics, including parental and non-parental types in colony morphology, growth rate, and isozyme patterns.
• Electron microscopy was used to examine the fusion process and hybrid characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Inter-order protoplast fusion between Lentinula edodes and Coriolus versicolor is feasible, overcoming significant biological barriers.
• The resulting hybrids possess a mix of parental and novel traits, indicating successful genetic recombination.
• This study provides a foundation for further research into fungal inter-species hybridization and breeding.