Comparative transcriptomics of the widespread Mycena mushrooms: What genomic features makes saprotrophs turn into opportunistic biotrophs and symbionts?

In many projects sequencing fungal genomes, the ecology (lifestyle) of the species analysed is being been taken for granted based on general assumptions of a whole genus. Here, we have already directly tested the growth of the fungi on different media and their interaction with host plants, and expand on this alongside our sequencing their genomics and transcriptomics (gene expression). Because of this, and since our study organisms are closely related, yet display a continuum of ecologies - saprotrophic, parasitic and beneficial - we are much better able to directly identify recently evolved features, the genetic mechanims that controls them, and how they work. This could elucidate enigmatic parts of the fungal evolution which are of direct interest to all scientists working with fungi.

My research will be done in collaboration with 5 institutions that all have specific expertise in each subfield I need. I will go to Greenland with Jacob Heilmann-Clausen (University of Copenhagen) to obtain Artic mycorrhiza-fungi for genome sequencing. Joint Genome Institute (USA) and University of Nancy(France) will assist the genome sequencing. I will grow my Mycena and Mhost plant(birch) cultures in Lund, extract the DNA/RNA there, and then analyse their gene expression in cooperation with Lund and The Oslo Mycology Group. Finally, I will take Mycena-infected birch roots to the Natural History Museum of Paris, where they specialise in the FISH-hybridisation technique, to identify Mycena species that assemble near the root tip and are likely to be mycorrhizal.