Isolation of a Polyporus arcularius strain capable of monokaryotic fruiting and its life cycle

Abstract

To use homokaryons of Polyporus arcularius as a tool for molecular genetic analysis of fruiting body development, mononuclear homokaryons were isolated and grown on buckwheat hull medium, and their life cycles were examined by scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. The homokaryon strain TUFC14290-1, derived from the fruiting body of the heterokaryon TUFC14290, efficiently formed mononuclear fruiting bodies. Basidiospores and sterigmata were observed on the basidiocarp of the TUFC14290-1 strain fruiting body, and the typical number of sterigmata on the basidiocarp was two. The fruiting body of homokaryon TUFC14290-1 formed a basidiospore containing a single nucleus and produced a monokaryon by germination. These results indicate that homokaryon TUFC14290-1 is a useful strain capable of showing a mononuclear life cycle in the wood-decaying Polypores mushroom. This strain is expected to be used to elucidate the molecular mechanism of fruiting body formation in P. arcularius in further studies.