Effects of alpha-glucans from Agaricus bisporus on ex vivo cytokine production by LPS and PHA-stimulated PBMCs; a placebo-controlled study in slightly hypercholesterolemic subjects.

INTRODUCTION: Mushrooms are known for their immune modulating effect for which the polysaccharide fraction, mainly glucans, seem to be responsible. Fungal beta-glucans have been studied extensively, whereas little is known about mushroom alpha-glucans. We have earlier shown that the polysaccharide fraction from the mushroom A. bisporus, consisting 90% of alpha-glucans, induced in vitro tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha and nitric oxide production. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of consuming. METHOD: A. bisporus alpha-glucan on ex vivo cytokine production by human peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs). A double-blind randomized trial was designed in which 56 mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects consumed a control fruit juice with no added alpha-glucans (200 ml/day) for a 2-week run-in period. For the next 5 weeks, the control group (N=30) continued consumption of the control fruit juice, whereas the intervention group (N=26) consumed the same fruit juice enriched with alpha-glucans from A. bisporus (5 g glucans/day). Changes in interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6 and TNFalpha cytokine production by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated PBMCs were evaluated, as well as changes in T-helper (Th)1/Th2 cytokines by phytohemaggutinin (PHA)-stimulated PBMCs. RESULTS: Consumption of A. bisporus alpha-glucans lower LPS-induced TNFalpha production by 69% (P=0.017) as compared with the control group, whereas no effect on IL-1beta and IL-6 was observed. No obvious Th1-Th2 skewing by PHA-stimulated PBMCs was observed. However, we observed a trend towards a decreased production of IL-12 and IL-10. CONCLUSION: Our current finding suggests that in vivo, alpha-glucans have lost their efficacy to stimulate the immune response as observed in our in vitro mouse model.

Morphological characteristics and mycelial compatibility of different Mycogone perniciosa isolates.

The major disease of the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus Lange (Imb) in Serbian mushroom farms is wet bubble caused by the fungus Mycogone perniciosa (Magnus) Delacr. In this study we report the morpho-physiological characteristics and inter-relationships between colonies of five isolates of M. perniciosa. The results suggest that mycelial compatibility could serve as an additional parameter for a more reliable determination of different pathotypes of M. perniciosa.

Isolation, characterization, and expression patterns of a DMC1 homolog from the basidiomycete Pleurotus ostreatus.

Here we describe the isolation of a Pleurotus ostreatus gene PoDMC1. The predicted amino acid sequence of the oyster mushroom gene is 62% identical to the yeast DMC1 and 60% identical to human DMC1. The highest degree of amino acid identity (88%), however, was shown with Coprinus CoLIM15, a DMC1 homolog recently found in Coprinus cinereus. The exact matching of sizes and positions of most introns in both basidiomycete genes underlines the close relationship between these DMC1 orthologs. The RecA homolog DMC1 from yeast and its orthologs from other species have been reported to be meiosis specific and essential for sporulation. Here we show that PoDMC1 is exclusively expressed in the lamellae/basidiospore fraction of fruit bodies and not in somatic cells of fruiting bodies or in vegetative mycelium. Furthermore, the gene is not expressed in the lamellae/basidiospore fraction of a nonsporulating mutant of P. ostreatus. Since one of the major problems in cultivating the oyster mushroom is the abundant sporulation that causes allergic reactions in man, PoDMC1 could be an important target gene in constructing sporeless Pleurotus strains.

Transformation of the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus (Lange) using T-DNA from Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is known to transfer parts of its tumor-inducing plasmid, the T-DNA, to plants, yeasts and filamentous fungi. We have used this system to transform germinating basidiospores and vegetative mycelium of a commercial strain of the cultivated basidiomycete Agaricus bisporus. Analysis of transformants shows that the T-DNA integrates at random sites into the host genome and that the selection marker is stable during mitosis and meiosis. The Agrobacterium system allows the transformation of both homokaryons and heterokaryons of A. bisporus. Also, both karyotypes of an heterokaryon can be transformed simultaneously. Furthermore, this is the first report on the transformation of vegetative mycelium of a commercial strain of A. bisporus.

Molecular cloning of a widely distributed microsatellite core sequence from the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus.

An Agaricus bisporus microsatellite with the tetranucleotide motif TATG tandemly repeated was isolated from an A. bisporus library enriched in repeated sequences. The use of the 16-mer oligonucleotide (TATG)4 indicates that many loci contain nearby copies of the microsatellite in opposite orientations. The wide distribution of the microsatellite in the A. bisporus genome was assessed (i) by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the products generated by directed amplification of microsatellite-region DNA (DAMD) and (ii) by hybridization of these products with A. bisporus chromosomes separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. This is, to our knowledge, the first microsatellite reported in the cultivated edible mushrooms. DAMD-PCR products were generated using DNA of three Pleurotus species (P. pulmonarius, P. sajor-caju, and P. florida), indicating that (TATG)4 repeats are also present in these cultivated species. The variability found within closely related strains indicates that such microsatellites are useful in fingerprinting and studying genetic variability in wild and commercial mushrooms.

Trehalose phosphorylase activity and carbohydrate levels during axenic fruiting in three Agaricus bisporus strains.

Three strains of Agaricus bisporus (B430, 116, and 155.8), which share the ability to form hyphal aggregates on solid media under axenic conditions, were investigated with respect to carbohydrate levels and activities of enzymes involved in their carbon metabolism. The size and macroscopic appearance of the aggregates, when grown on diluted medium, suggest that substrate limitation plays a role in the process of fruiting body development in A. bisporus. The enzymes trehalose phosphorylase (TP), mannitol dehydrogenase (MD), and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) seem to be developmentally regulated, in contrast to hexokinase (HK). Activities of TP (measured in the direction of trehalose degradation), MD, and G6PD were higher in the hyphal aggregates compared with the mycelium, whereas HK activity varied little. In the period preceding the axenic formation of hyphal aggregates, synthesis of trehalose by TP approximately doubled in the mycelium. The carbohydrate levels, which were measured by HPLC, varied in a way similar to their corresponding enzymes. The results indicate synthesis of trehalose in the mycelium of A. bisporus before the hyphal aggregates arise. Subsequently, translocation of the trehalose takes place from the mycelium to the emerging aggregates. In these small aggregates the trehalose is rapidly broken down to yield glucose and glucose-1-phosphate, serving as carbon and energy sources for further growth of the aggregates and for the synthesis of the osmolyte mannitol.

Transport of amino acids and ammonium in mycelium of Agaricus bisporus.

Mycelium of Agaricus bisporus took up methylamine (MA), glutamate, glutamine and arginine by high-affinity transport systems following Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The activities of these systems were influenced by the nitrogen source used for mycelial growth. Moreover, MA, glutamate and glutamine uptakes were derepressed by nitrogen starvation, whereas arginine uptake was repressed. The two ammonium-specific transport systems with different affinities and capacities were inhibited by NH(+)(4), with a K(i) of 3.7 microM for the high-velocity system. The K(m) values for glutamate, glutamine and arginine transport were 124, 151 and 32 microM, respectively. Inhibition of arginine uptake by lysine and histidine showed that they are competitive inhibitors. MA, glutamate and glutamine uptake was inversely proportional to the intracellular NH(+)(4) concentration. Moreover, increase of the intracellular NH(+)(4) level caused by PPT (DL-phosphinotricin) resulted in an immediate cessation of MA, glutamine and glutamate uptake. It seems that the intracellular NH(+)(4) concentration regulates its own influx by feedback-inhibition of the uptake system and probably also its efflux which becomes apparent when mycelium is grown on protein. Addition of extracellular NH(+)(4) did not inhibit glutamine uptake, suggesting that NH(+)(4) and glutamine are equally preferred nitrogen sources. The physiological importance of these uptake systems for the utilization of nitrogen compounds by A. bisporus is discussed.

Abr1, a transposon-like element in the genome of the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach.

A 300-bp repetitive element was found in the genome of the white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, and designated Abr1. It is present in approximately 15 copies per haploid genome in the commercial strain Horst U1. Analysis of seven copies showed 89 to 97% sequence identity. The repeat has features typical of class II transposons (i.e., terminal inverted repeats, subterminal repeats, and a target site duplication of 7 bp). The latter shows a consensus sequence. When used as probe on Southern blots, Abr1 identifies relatively little variation within traditional and present-day commercial strains, indicating that most strains are identical or have a common origin. In contrast to these cultivars, high variation is found among field-collected strains. Furthermore, a remarkable difference in copy numbers of Abr1 was found between A. bisporus isolates with a secondarily homothallic life cycle and those with a heterothallic life cycle. Abr1 is a type II transposon not previously reported in basidiomycetes and appears to be useful for the identification of strains within the species A. bisporus.

NAD+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase of the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus: biochemical and molecular characterization.

The NAD+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (NAD-GDH) of Agaricus bisporus, a key enzyme in nitrogen metabolism, was purified to homogeneity. The apparent molecular mass of the native enzyme is 474 kDa comprising four subunits of 116 kDa. The isoelectric point of the enzyme is about 7.0. Km values for ammonium, 2-oxoglutarate, NADH, glutamate and NAD+ were 6.5, 3.5, 0.06, 37.1 and 0.046 mM, respectively. The enzyme is specific for NAD(H). The gene encoding this enzyme (gdhB) was isolated from an A. bisporus H39 recombinant lambda phage library. The deduced amino acid sequence specifies a 1029-amino acid protein with a deduced molecular mass of 115,463 Da, which displays a significant degree of similarity with NAD-GDH of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Neurospora crassa. The ORF is interrupted by fifteen introns. Northern analysis combined with enzyme activity measurements suggest that NAD-GDH from A. bisporus is regulated by the nitrogen source. NAD-GDH levels in mycelium grown on glutamate were higher than NAD-GDH levels in mycelium grown on ammonium as a nitrogen source. Combined with the kinetic parameters, these results suggest a catabolic role for NAD-GDH. However, upon addition of ammonium to the culture transcription of the gene is not repressed as strongly as that of the gene encoding NADP-GDH (gdhA). To date, tetrameric NAD-GDHs with large subunits, and their corresponding genes, have only been isolated from a few species. This enzyme represents the first NAD-GDH of basidiomycete origin to be purified and is the first such enzyme from basidiomycetes whose sequence has been determined.

Regulation of glutamine synthetase from the white button mushroom Agaricus bisporus.

The regulation of glutamine synthetase (GS) from Agaricus bisporus was studied at the posttranscriptional level using a specific antibody fraction directed against purified GS. The cross-reactivity of the antiserum against various Agaricus species and other fungi was tested and low reactivity with the Ascomycetes was found. GS protein and activity levels were measured in cell-free extracts of mycelium grown on different N sources. In mycelium grown on glutamine or ammonium as N source, the biosynthetic GS activity is higher than the transferase activity. Moreover, the results show a correlation between GS biosynthetic activity, GS protein, and previously reported mRNA levels. Also, after addition of ammonium or glutamine to glutamate-utilizing cultures, transferase activity decreased more rapidly than biosynthetic activity and GS protein level. This suggests a conformational modification which only affects transferase activity.

Purification and characterization of trehalose phosphorylase from the commercial mushroom Agaricus bisporus.

Trehalose phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.64) from Agaricus bisporus was purified for the first time from a fungus. This enzyme appears to play a key role in trehalose metabolism in A. bisporus since no trehalase or trehalose synthase activities could be detected in this fungus. Trehalose phosphorylase catalyzes the reversible reaction of degradation (phosphorolysis) and synthesis of trehalose. The native enzyme has a molecular weight of 240 kDa and consists of four identical 61-kDa subunits. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was pH 4.8. The optimum temperature for both enzyme reactions was 30 degrees C. The optimum pH ranges for trehalose degradation and synthesis were 6.0-7.5 and 6.0-7.0, respectively. Trehalose degradation was inhibited by ATP and trehalose analogs, whereas the synthetic activity was inhibited by P(i) (K(i)=2.0 mM). The enzyme was highly specific towards trehalose, P(i), glucose and alpha-glucose-1-phosphate. The stoichiometry of the reaction between trehalose, P(i), glucose and alpha-glucose-1-phosphate was 1:1:1:1 (molar ratio). The K(m) values were 61, 4.7, 24 and 6.3 mM for trehalose, P(i), glucose and alpha-glucose-1-phosphate, respectively. Under physiological conditions, A. bisporus trehalose phosphorylase probably performs both synthesis and degradation of trehalose.

An endo-1,4-beta-xylanase-encoding gene from Agaricus bisporus is regulated by compost-specific factors.

Compost is the preferred substrate for growth of the edible fungus Agaricus bisporus. Utilization of compost requires the production of enzymes involved in degradation of lignocellulolytic components. For molecular characterization of these processes we are isolating the encoding genes. By applying heterologous screening techniques, we have cloned such a gene, which is specifically induced on compost encoding an endo-1,4-beta-xylanase (xlnA) belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 10. The gene encodes a pre-protein of 333 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 34,946 for the mature protein. The open reading frame is interrupted by ten introns of which introns 5 and 6 are separated by an exon of only two base-pairs. High expression of the xlnA gene was observed in vegetative mycelium grown on sterilized compost while xlnA messengers were not detected in fruit bodies. Addition of glucose or xylose to compost repressed xlnA expression. When glucose-grown colonies were transferred to a medium containing cellulose, xylan or xylose as sole carbon source, the organism responded by expressing xlnA at a high level for a short period. Transfer from glucose to compost yielded a much stronger and constant xlnA induction. A similar pattern of expression was found for the cel3 gene encoding a cellulase, suggesting that these genes are induced by compost-specific factors rather than by the substrates they act upon. Antiserum raised against XLNA protein, which was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, detected, when the fungus was grown on compost, an extracellular protein of 33 kDa with endo-xylanase activity.

The Agaricus bisporus pruA gene encodes a cytosolic delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase which is expressed in fruit bodies but not in gill tissue.

A fortuitously cloned 3'-truncated cDNA encoding the Agaricus bisporus delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase was used to characterize the complete gene. The gene would encode a cytosolic polypeptide of 546 amino acids, and the basidiomycetous gene was evenly expressed in various parts of the mushroom except for the gills. No expression was detected in compost-grown mycelium. The steady-state mRNA level of the gene in the vegetative phase was determined on simple synthetic media and was two- to threefold higher with ammonium or proline as the sole nitrogen source compared to glutamate as the sole nitrogen source. Moreover, the steady-state mRNA level was not markedly influenced by addition of ammonium phosphate to proline- or glutamate-utilizing cultures. The results suggest that ammonium and the amino acids proline and glutamate are equally preferred nitrogen sources in this organism and are consistent with previous observations of H. M Kalisz, D.A. Wood, and D. Moore (Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc. 88:221-227, 1987) that A. bisporus continues to degrade protein and secrete ammonium even if ammonium and glucose are present in the culture medium.

Mitochondrial Haplotype Influences Mycelial Growth of Agaricus bisporus Heterokaryons.

We evaluated the influence of mitochondrial haplotype on growth of the common button mushroom Agaricus bisporus. Ten pairs of heterokaryon strains, each pair having the same nuclear genome but different mitochondrial genomes, were produced by controlled crosses among a group of homokaryons of both wild and commercial origins. Seven genetically distinct mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes were evaluated in different nuclear backgrounds. The growth of heterokaryon pairs differing only in their mtDNA haplotypes was compared by measuring mycelial radial growth rate on solid complete yeast medium (CYM) and compost extract medium and by measuring mycelial dry weight accumulation in liquid CYM. All A. bisporus strains were incubated at temperatures similar to those utilized in commercial production facilities (18, 22, and 26(deg)C). Statistically significant differences were detected in 8 of the 10 heterokaryon pairs evaluated for one or two of the three growth parameters measured. Some heterokaryon pairs showed differences in a single growth parameter at all three temperatures of incubation, suggesting a temperature-independent difference. Others showed differences at only a single temperature, suggesting a temperature-dependent difference. The influence of some mtDNA haplotypes on growth was dependent on the nuclear genetic background. Our results show that mtDNA haplotype can influence growth of A. bisporus heterokaryons in some nuclear backgrounds. These observations demonstrate the importance of including a number of mitochondrial genotypes and evaluating different nuclear-mitochondrial combinations of A. bisporus in strain improvement programs.

Molecular characterization of the glnA gene encoding glutamine synthetase from the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus.

The gene encoding glutamine synthetase (glnA) was isolated from an Agaricus bisporus H39 recombinant lambda phage library. The deduced A. bisporus glutamine synthetase amino acid sequence contains 354 residues. The amino acid sequence is very similar to that derived from the gene coding for glutamine synthetase of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The open reading frame is interrupted by four introns. Northern analysis revealed that transcription of the gene is repressed upon addition of ammonium to the culture but the repression was not as strong as that of the gene encoding NADP+ -dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (gdhA). Enzyme activities are low in the presence of ammonium, glutamine and albumin and do not correlate with the mRNA levels revealed by Northern analysis. This suggests that glutamine synthetase expression in A. bisporus is also post-transcriptionally regulated by the nitrogen source.

Isolation of expressed sequence tags of Agaricus bisporus and their assignment to chromosomes.

The genome of the cultivated basidiomycete Agaricus bisporus Horst U1 and of its homokaryotic parents has been characterized by using an optimized method of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Expressed sequence tags obtained as expressed cDNAs from a primordial tissue-derived cDNA library and a number of previously isolated genes were used to identify the individual chromosomes of the parental lines of Horst U1. The genome consists of 13 chromosomes, and its total size is 31 Mb. For those chromosomes that could not be resolved by contour-clamped homogeneous electric field electrophoresis, the segregation of marker genes was studied in a set of 86 homokaryotic offspring of Horst U1. At least two markers were assigned to each individual chromosome. In this way all individual chromosomes were unequivocally identified. The large size difference observed between the homologous chromosomes IX, harboring the rDNA repeat, was shown to be largely due to a higher copy number of rDNA in parental strain H97 than in parental strain H39.

The Agaricus bisporus hypA gene encodes a hydrophobin and specifically accumulates in peel tissue of mushroom caps during fruit body development.

Differential screening of a cDNA library was used to clone genes that are specifically expressed during mushroom development in the basidiomycete Agaricus bisporus. One of the isolated genes encodes a polypeptide of 112 amino acid residues and belongs to the fungal gene family encoding hydrophobins. This gene, hypA, has the characteristic pattern of eight cysteine residues at conserved positions and a hydrophobicity pattern that is very similar to class I hydrophobins. Elucidation of the genomic structure of hypA led to the identification of a second copy, hypC, located downstream of hypA. Although at a much lower level, hypC is like hypA specifically expressed on fruit bodies. The hypA mRNA level is transiently increased ten days after fruit body induction and expression appears to be associated with rapid expansion of the mushroom caps. In mushroom caps, very high concentrations of hypA messengers were found in the (outer) peel tissue, where they accumulate to more than 60% of the total mRNA mass. The corresponding protein with a molecular mass of 8 to 9 kDa was purified from this peel tissue and was identified by N-terminal sequencing. Our results suggest that HYPA forms a protective hydrophobic layer instrumental in cap formation.

Nucleotide sequence and expression of the gene encoding NADP+- dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (gdhA) from Agaricus bisporus.

The gene encoding NADP+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (gdhA) was isolated from an Agaricus bisporus recombinant phage lambda library. The deduced amino acid sequence would specify a 457-amino acid protein that is highly homologous in sequence to those derived from previously isolated and characterized genes coding for microbial NADP+-GDH. The open reading frame is interrupted by six introns. None of the introns is located at either one of the positions of the two introns conserved in the corresponding open reading frames of the ascomycete fungi Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa. Northern analysis suggests that the A. bisporus gdhA gene is transcriptionally regulated and that, unlike the case in ascomycetes, transcription of this gene is repressed upon the addition of ammonium to the culture.

15N-NMR study of ammonium assimilation in Agaricus bisporus.

Ammonium assimilation was studied by feeding [15N]ammonium to actively growing mycelium of Agaricus bisporus. Products of ammonium assimilation were analysed using 15N-NMR. Participation of glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase and NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase was determined by inhibiting glutamine synthetase with phosphinothricin and glutamate synthase with azaserine. Our results clearly indicate that, under the conditions used, ammonium assimilation is mainly catalysed by the enzymes of the glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase pathway. No indications were found for participation of NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase. Furthermore, 15N-labelling shows that transamination of glutamate with pyruvate to yield alanine is a major route in nitrogen metabolism. Another major route is the formation of N-acetylglucosamine. Compared to the formation of N-acetylglucosamine there was only a limited formation of arginine.

Molecular cloning and sequence of the cytoplasmic ribosomal protein S15a gene from Agaricus bisporus.

We have isolated an Agaricus bisporus cDNA which encodes an open reading frame of 130 amino acids. A comparison with the Genbank database shows that the deduced amino acid sequence of this open reading frame is highly homologous to the small subunit ribosomal proteins S15a of Brassica napus and Drosophila melanogaster and to the small subunit ribosomal proteins S24 of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.