Analyze the genetic basis of the adaptive evolution of shiitake mushrooms

Shiitake mushroom Courtesy of Huazhong Agricultural University

(Reporter Li Chen) Recently, the research team led by Professor Bian Yinbing of the College of Plant Science and Technology of Huazhong Agricultural University used the population genome method for the first time to explore the evolutionary history of edible mushrooms with important economic value, and analyzed the genetic basis of the adaptive evolution of shiitake mushrooms, and the research results will provide an important reference for the breeding of excellent varieties of shiitake mushrooms. The results were published in the Journal of Advanced Research.

Shiitake mushrooms are the most important edible mushrooms in the world, accounting for 22% of the world's total production of cultivated edible mushrooms, ranking first in various categories. Both ecological adaptation and artificial selection can contribute to the evolution of the shiitake mushroom genome, but the link between its phenotypic-genotype-adaptation is unclear.

Based on 133 shiitake strains, the research team conducted genome resequencing and cultivation experiments. The population genome study divided the test strains into three subgroups with significant geographical distribution characteristics, phenotypic differentiation and temperature response differences between subpopulations. The three subpopulations were independently differentiated before the 36871 generation, and the modern shiitake mushroom cultivars may have originated in the vicinity of northeast China.

Combining genomic scanning and genome-wide association analysis, the team identified a large number of candidate genes associated with genetic and phenotypic differentiation between populations. Among them, environmental response, signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, cell cycle regulation, fungal cell wall remodeling, protein degradation, and metabolic and transport-related functional genes are particularly important. Transcriptome studies that combine the development of fruiting bodies have found that a significant number of gene differentiation-related genes are involved in the development of fruiting bodies. The research team constructed a model of genetic and phenotypic differentiation during the adaptive evolution of shiitake mushrooms. The findings suggest that this adaptation to the local environment, particularly temperature, triggers genetic and phenotypic differentiation of shiitake mushroom populations.

Source: China Science Daily