Boreostereum radiatum fruiting body photographed fresh in European Russia. [Photo credit: Viacheslav Spirin]

This genome was sequenced as part of the JGI CSP "1000 Fungal Genomes – Deep Sequencing of Ecologically-relevant Dikarya" project. Within the framework of this project, we are sequencing keystone lineages of saprophytic, mycorrhizal, and endophytic fungi that are of special ecological importance. Dozens of sequenced species were harvested from Long Term Observatories to serve as the foundation for a reference database for metagenomics of fungi and for a comprehensive survey of the soil fungal metatranscriptome.

Boreostereum radiatum is the type species of the genus Boreostereum. It produces brown, effused, hard basidiomes on conifer trunks in boreal and north temperate regions of Eurasia and North America. In Europe the species has a continental distribution. Hyphae are simple septate like in outwardly similar Veluticeps spp., the closest relatives of B. radiatum (for example, Veluticeps abietina).

Boreostereum radiatum belongs to the order Gloeophyllales (Basidiomycotina), and appears to be the earliest diverging, sequenced species in the order (Garcia-Sandoval et al. 2011). Gloeophyllales includes only wood-decaying brown-rot fungi, some of them used as model organisms in studying chemistry behind brown-rot. However, the rot type of B. radiatum is unclear – some authors have considered it a white-rot fungus (Martin and Gilbertson 1980) while others viewed it as a possible brown-rotter (Chamuris 1988). Genome sequence will shed light on its type of rot and offers a point of comparison for other, brown-rot Gloeophyllales species that have been genome-sequenced already. Being an early diverging member of the order, the genome will help placing the order within the Agaricomycetes family tree.

The 1KFG project is a large collaborative effort aiming for master publication(s). Please do contact the PI for 1KFG - Deep Sequencing of Ecologically-relevant Dikarya (Dr. Francis Martin) for permission prior to the use of any data in publications.