Identification of Key Regulatory Pathways of Basidiocarp Formation in Pleurotus spp. Using Modeling, Simulation and System Biology Studies

Efficiency of thermostable purified laccase isolated from Physisporinus vitreus for azo dyes decolorization

Laccases are versatile biocatalysts that are prominent for industrial purposes due to their extensive substrate specificity. Therefore, this research investigated producing laccase from Physisporinus vitreus via liquid fermentation. The results revealed that veratryl alcohol (4mM) was the most effective inducer 7500U/L. On the other hand, Zn ions inhibited laccase production. The optimum carbon and nitrogen sources were glucose and tryptone by 5200 and 3300 U/L, respectively. Moreover, solvents exhibited various impacts on the enzyme activity at three different solvent concentrations (5%, 10% and 20%), however, it showed a highest activity at 5% of the investigated solvent. Ferric ions inhibited the enzyme activity. In addition, the enzyme has a high ability to decolorize azo dyes when using syringaldehyde as a mediator. The purified laccase from Physisporinus vitreus is a promising substance to be used for industrial and environmental applications due to its stability under harsh conditions and efficiency in decolorization of dyes.

Comparative transcriptome analysis on candidate genes associated with fruiting body growth and development in Lyophyllum decastes

Lyophyllum decastes is a mushroom that is highly regarded for its culinary and medicinal properties. Its delectable taste and texture make it a popular choice for consumption. To gain a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of the fruiting body of L. decastes, we used RNA sequencing to conduct a comparative transcriptome analysis. The analysis encompassed various developmental stages, including the vegetative mycelium, primordial initiation, young fruiting body, medium-size fruiting body, and mature fruiting body stages. A range of 40.1 to 60.6 million clean reads were obtained, and de novo assembly generated 15,451 unigenes with an average length of 1,462.68 bp. Functional annotation of transcriptomes matched 76.84% of the unigenes to known proteins available in at least one database. The gene expression analysis revealed a significant number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between each stage. These genes were annotated and subjected to Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses. Highly differentially expressed unigenes were also identified, including those that encode extracellular enzymes, transcription factors, and signaling pathways. The accuracy of the RNA-Seq and DEG analyses was validated using quantitative PCR. Enzyme activity analysis experiments demonstrated that the extracellular enzymes exhibited significant differences across different developmental stages. This study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms that underlie the development of the fruiting body in L. decastes.

Edible and Medicinal Macrofungi

Macrofungi are well known as mushrooms, which belong mostly to Basidiomycota with a few from Ascomycota, and up to now, around 40,000 species have been described. In people's lives, macrofungi are closely related to our economic activities, especially for food and medicine. "One meat, one vegetable and one mushroom" has become a healthy and fashionable dietary structure, and the global edible mushroom production and cultivating area are steadily rising. On the other hand, a large number of mushroom species and new active components have been found, and have become one of the driving forces of innovation of drugs and health products, especially with the development of biochemistry, enzyme engineering, and genetic engineering. Thus, macrofungi in food, medicine, and other aspects have shown a broad prospect. In this Special Issue, research on new species and related molecular phylogenies, mechanisms of hyphae polar growing and basidiocarp formation, biochemistry of edible and medical mushrooms, and some important scientific questions related to the edible mushroom industry are presented, which also reflect the hot areas of common concern on edible and medicinal fungi.