The button
mushroom occupies a prominent place in our diet and in the grocery store where
it boasts a tasty multibillion-dollar niche, while in nature, Agaricus bisporus
is known to decay leaf matter on the forest floor. Now, owing to an
international collaboration of two-dozen institutions led by the French
National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the U.S. Department of
Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), the full repertoire of A. bisporus
genes has been determined. In particular, new work shows how its genes are
actually deployed not only in leaf decay but also wood decay and in the
development of fruiting bodies (the above ground part of the mushroom harvested
for food).
journal
reference (abstract free): pnas >>