Mating type in Mycoleptodonoides aitchisonii is not genetically associated with the monokaryotic clamp cell formation phenotype

Abstract

Mycoleptodonoides aitchisonii is a wood-rooting edible mushroom. In response to previous reports that some basidiospore isolates of this mushroom can form complete fruiting bodies and true clamp cells, the frequency of true clamp cell formation was compared between the dikaryotic and the monokaryotic strains. Compared to monokaryotic strains, true clamp cells were observed with greater frequency in dikaryotic strains. Mating incompatibility groups were examined among basidiospore isolates from dikaryotic strain TUFC50005 (P) and TUFC50005-7 × TUFC50005-18 (F1), which were derived from strain TUFC50005. Mating compatibility could be divided into two groups indicating that M. aitchisonii is a bipolar mushroom. Moreover, recombinant mating type strain might not be generated after meiosis, indicating that there may only be a single mating-type locus in M. aitchisonii. No genetic linkage was observed between the phenotype capable of forming monokaryotic clamp cells and mating type, indicating that monokaryotic clamp formation was not linked to the mating-type locus.