Artomyces pyxidatus (syn. Clavicorona pyxidata) represents the first sequenced coral fungus, i.e. a species with a branched, coral-like fruiting body morphology. The coralloid fruiting body morphology is widespread in the mushroom-forming fungi and has been hypothesized to be an important stepping-stone in the evolution of mushrooms and the emergence of more complex structures, such as those found in important crop and medicinal mushroom species in the Agaricales. By sequencing the genome of Artomyces pyxidatus, this and other hypotheses about fruiting body evolution in mushrooms become testable. The key interest in Artomyces pyxidatus is its potential to uncover the factors related to mushroom formation. Identifying the genetic bases of mushroom formation and its evolutionary origins is central to mushroom biotechnology and to the improvement of commercial mushroom production. The genus Artomyces belongs to the Russulales, a diverse order of mainly ectomycorrhizal agarics (Russula & Lactarius). Within the order, Artomyces represent an early-diverging lineage with significant wood-decay capability. This makes it possible to explore the enzymatic wood-decay systems and gene families in greater detail in the Russulales, previously represented only by a single or two species.
Genome Reference(s)
Looney B, Miyauchi S, Morin E, Drula E, Courty PE, Kohler A, Kuo A, LaButti K, Pangilinan J, Lipzen A, Riley R, Andreopoulos W, He G, Johnson J, Nolan M, Tritt A, Barry KW, Grigoriev IV, Nagy LG, Hibbett D, Henrissat B, Matheny PB, Labbé J, Martin FM
Evolutionary transition to the ectomycorrhizal habit in the genomes of a hyperdiverse lineage of mushroom-forming fungi.
New Phytol. 2022 Mar;233(5):2294-2309. doi: 10.1111/nph.17892