Insight into the evolutionary and domesticated history of the most widely cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus via mitogenome sequences of 361 global strains.

Agaricus bisporus is the most widely cultivated edible mushroom in the world with a only around three hundred years known history of cultivation. Therefore, it represents an ideal organism not only to investigate the natural evolutionary history but also the understanding on the evolution going back to the early era of domestication. In this study, we generated the mitochondrial genome sequences of 352 A. bisporus strains and 9 strains from 4 closely related species around the world. The population mitogenomic study revealed all A. bisporus strains can be divided into seven clades, and all domesticated cultivars present only in two of those clades. The molecular dating analysis showed this species origin in Europe on 4.6 Ma and we proposed the main dispersal routes. The detailed mitogenome structure studies showed that the insertion of the plasmid-derived dpo gene caused a long fragment (MIR) inversion, and the distributions of the fragments of dpo gene were strictly in correspondence with these seven clades. Our studies also showed A. bisporus population contains 30 intron distribution patterns (IDPs), while all cultivars contain only two IDPs, which clearly exhibit intron loss compared to the others. Either the loss occurred before or after domestication, that could suggest that the change facilitates their adaptation to the cultivated environment.

iTRAQ-MS/MS Proteomic Analysis Reveals Differentially Expressed Proteins During Post-harvest Maturation of the White Button Mushroom Agaricus bisporus.

Agaricus bisporus (J. E. Lange) Imbach, well known as the common cultivated mushroom or white button mushroom, is widely cultivated all over the world. We used iTRAQ-MS/MS (i.e., isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification-coupled two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) to identify protein expression changes that occur during the post-harvest maturation of Agaricus bisporus fruitbodies at 0, 6, 12, and 48 h after harvest. A total of 5878 unique peptides, representing 1063 proteins, were identified. Quantitative data were obtained from 1012 out of the 1063 proteins. A total of 102, 106, and 160 differentially expressed proteins (>twofolds differences) were identified from samples collected at 6, 12, and 48 h compared to sample from 0 h post harvest, accounting for 10.1, 10.5, and 15.8% of the total proteins identified, respectively. All identified proteins including the differentially expressed proteins among different post-harvest stages were subjected to bioinformatic analysis. Furthermore, seven representative proteins either up or down-regulated at different post-harvest stages were analyzed by real-time PCR. Three out of the seven proteins, the mismatched base pair and cruciform DNA recognition protein, hydrophobin-B and protein transporter, exhibited similar expression patterns as their corresponding proteins. The 260 differentially expressed proteins identified from our study laid a foundation for future studies aiming to understand the post-harvest maturation process of A. bisporus and eventually, might help in the development of breeding program to identify strains with extended shelf life.

Mushrooms and Health Summit proceedings.

The Mushroom Council convened the Mushrooms and Health Summit in Washington, DC, on 9-10 September 2013. The proceedings are synthesized in this article. Although mushrooms have long been regarded as health-promoting foods, research specific to their role in a healthful diet and in health promotion has advanced in the past decade. The earliest mushroom cultivation was documented in China, which remains among the top global mushroom producers, along with the United States, Italy, The Netherlands, and Poland. Although considered a vegetable in dietary advice, mushrooms are fungi, set apart by vitamin B-12 in very low quantity but in the same form found in meat, ergosterol converted with UV light to vitamin D2, and conjugated linoleic acid. Mushrooms are a rare source of ergothioneine as well as selenium, fiber, and several other vitamins and minerals. Some preclinical and clinical studies suggest impacts of mushrooms on cognition, weight management, oral health, and cancer risk. Preliminary evidence suggests that mushrooms may support healthy immune and inflammatory responses through interaction with the gut microbiota, enhancing development of adaptive immunity, and improved immune cell functionality. In addition to imparting direct nutritional and health benefits, analysis of U.S. food intake survey data reveals that mushrooms are associated with higher dietary quality. Also, early sensory research suggests that mushrooms blended with meats and lower sodium dishes are well liked and may help to reduce intakes of red meat and salt without compromising taste. As research progresses on the specific health effects of mushrooms, there is a need for effective communication efforts to leverage mushrooms to improve overall dietary quality.