Periodic Reporting for period 3 - Mushroomics (Functional genomics in Schizophyllum commune: leveraging the diversity in this hypervariable fungus to understand mushroom development) Reporting period: 2020-01-01 to 2021-06-30 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project Mushrooms are the reproductive structures of certain species of fungi, and they are a nutritious and sustainable food source for a growing world population. Very little is known about how mushrooms form. For example, only a handful of genes are known to be involved in this developmental process. The aim of this project is to gain more insight in the regulation of mushroom development. Specifically, we want to know which regulatory genes (called transcription factors) control the initiation of mushroom growth and development. More knowledge about mushroom development will eventually lead to more efficient cultivation of additional species of mushroom-forming fungi. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far Most mushroom-forming fungi are very difficult to work with in the lab, since they grow very slowly or because they are not genetically accessible. For this reason we use a model species for mushroom development, called Schizophyllum commune. We have sequenced the genomes of several interesting strains of this species, and we determined how genes are regulated during mushroom development. Importantly, we have recently developed a technique based on CRISPR/Cas9 to efficiently make edits to the genome, allowing us to study gene function with much greater ease. We currently use this technique (as well as other approaches) to study the role of important regulatory genes during mushroom development. Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far) The aim of the project is to gain more insight into the gene regulatory network at the basis of mushroom development.
