Researchers studied a gene called gl20535 in the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum that controls how the fungus makes beneficial polysaccharides. When they increased this gene’s activity, the mushroom produced significantly more polysaccharides with improved composition. The gene works by controlling sugar pathways and related enzyme production, and the mushroom compensates when this gene is reduced. These findings could help improve the production of medicinal mushroom products for food and health applications.