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Construction of a heat-resistant strain of Lentinus edodes by fungal Hsp20 protein overexpression and genetic transformation

Summary

Scientists successfully created a heat-resistant version of shiitake mushrooms by adding extra copies of a heat-protection gene from button mushrooms. The modified mushrooms can survive higher temperatures and recover better after heat stress compared to regular shiitake strains. This genetic improvement could help shiitake farming expand to warmer regions and times of year, potentially increasing production worldwide.

Background

Lentinus edodes (shiitake mushroom) is the second most popular edible mushroom globally but grows optimally at low temperatures (24-27°C). High-temperature stress limits cultivation areas and times, reduces quality and yield, and can cause mycelial death above 38°C. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are conserved proteins that help organisms respond to heat stress.

Objective

To construct a heat shock protein expression vector containing the hsp20 gene from Agaricus bisporus and achieve genetic transformation in a low-temperature strain of L. edodes to improve survival and recovery from heat stress.

Results

Three successful transformants showed hsp20 gene expression more than 10-fold upregulated. Transformants had faster mycelial growth at 25°C and could resume growth after 24 hours of heat treatment at 40°C, while the original strain L087 could not recover. Monokaryotic strains had higher transformation efficiency (21.74%) compared to dikaryotic strains (16.52%).

Conclusion

Overexpression of A. bisporus hsp20 gene effectively improves heat shock resistance in low-temperature L. edodes strains. This genetic modification successfully enhanced mycelial thermotolerance and growth recovery after heat stress, providing a foundation for breeding heat-resistant transgenic shiitake mushrooms.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: PMID: 36478857, DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1009885
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