A systematic approach to fungi
Funded by the EU, the project POLYSYST (Molecular and morphological systematics of the Polyporales, a highly diverse, poorly documented clade of wood-decaying fungi with biotechnological potential) studied the classification of the Polyporales. Particular focus was given to a large genus, Rigidoporus. POLYSYST sequenced the DNA of the fungi Obba rivulosa, which has the ability to degrade lignin from wood selectively before breaking down cellulose. The genome was published by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute(opens in new window) and is currently being analysed using comparative transcriptomics at the University of Helsinki. A large set of reference specimens for taxonomic and systematic studies were collected during field trips to the United States. During the project, eight papers were published in scientific journals. A further two manuscripts have been submitted for publication that describe 2 new genera and 10 species new to science. Furthermore, 1 232 DNA sequences were submitted to the International Nucleotide Sequence Database. Around 4 000 herbarium species were also collected over the project's lifetime and deposited at the Finnish Museum of Natural History to be studied by the scientific community. A further 500 living cultures of wood-rotting and mycorrhizal fungi were collected in North America and the Caribbean. These are now in the process of being deposited in public repositories. POLYSYST supported the learning of cutting-edge molecular techniques and creation of a highly valuable data set of sequences and specimens. This will greatly benefit European mycology and ultimately the European biotechnology sector.
