Lactarius psammicola by Brian P. Looney

Lactarius psammicola Peck

This genome was sequenced as part of the JGI CSP Deep Sequencing of Dikarya and more specifically as a part of the Russulaceae Sequencing Project (RSP), which seeks to densely sample members of a diverse lineage of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi to examine functional diversity of ECM fungi with a shared evolutionary history. Researchers who wish to publish analyses using data from unpublished RSP genomes are respectfully required to contact the PI and JGI to avoid potential conflicts on data use and coordinate other publications with the RSP master paper(s). This genome was derived from sporocarp material.

Lactarius psammicola is an eastern North American species that is closely related to Lactarius torminosus, the type species of the genus Lactarius. This species is characterized by having a cap margin that is inrolled and hairy, concentric zones on the cap surface alternating orange and beige, prominent strobicules on the stipe, and a strongly acrid taste. Lactarius psammicola is an example of a common and widespread species in warm temperate or subtropical regions as part of a diverse ectomycorrhizal community associated with a high ectomycorrhizal host diversity of mostly Quercus and Pinus species (Sánchez‐Ramírez et al. 2015). It is distributed from Michigan to Central America and is primarily found associated with oaks during the summer. Despite its acrid taste, L. psammicola is an important edible mushroom species for the people of San Mateo, Mexico and is known for producing large fruitbodies (Alonso-Aguilar et al. 2014). Species closely related to this one have been shown to produce novel secondary compounds (Widén and Seppä 1979) and are particularly proficient at sequestering heavy metal and even radioactive contamination from soils (Sawidis 1988). This genome will provide another representative species of Lactarius to begin to uncover the functional diversity of this enigmatic lineage of ectomycorrhizal fungi.

References

Alonso-Aguilar, L.E., Montoya, A., Kong, A., Estrada-Torres, A. and Garibay-Orijel, R., 2014. The cultural significance of wild mushrooms in San Mateo Huexoyucan, Tlaxcala, Mexico. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 10(1), p.27.

Sánchez‐Ramírez, S., Tulloss, R.E., Guzmán‐Dávalos, L., Cifuentes‐Blanco, J., Valenzuela, R., Estrada‐Torres, A., Ruán‐Soto, F., Díaz‐Moreno, R., Hernández‐Rico, N., Torres‐Gómez, M. and León, H., 2015. In and out of refugia: historical patterns of diversity and demography in the North American Caesar's mushroom species complex. Molecular ecology, 24(23), pp. 5938-5956.

Sawidis, T., 1988. Uptake of radionuclides by plants after the Chernobyl accident. Environmental Pollution, 50(4), pp.317-324.

Widén, K.G. and Seppä, E.L., 1979. 15-hydroxyblennin A, a new lactarane-type sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Lactarius torminosus. Phytochemistry, 18(7), pp.1226-1227.