A novel application for reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (reverse transcription LAMP) was developed which enables rapid, accurate and inexpensive detection of gene expression in pure culture mycelia with no previous mRNA isolation necessary as well as in infected plant tissue after mRNA isolation. Usefulness of the method was demonstrated by detection of mRNA templates of the Fusarium graminearum housekeeping genes coding for Ef1α and β-tubulin, in mycelia and in planta.

Melampsora coleosporioides produces uredinia and telia on the leaves of Salix babylonica. Since the life cycle of this fungus is largely unknown, inoculation experiments were conducted to find alternate host plants. Results showed that M. coleosporioides can use Corydalis incisa as a spermogonial and aecial host. The morphological characteristics of the spermogonial and aecial states of the fungus are first described. Furthermore, field observations and histological studies demonstrated that the fungus was able to overwinter in twigs of S. babylonica and produced urediniospores in early spring. Thus, the leaf rust occurs on S. babylonica every year and alternation with the spermogonial and aecial host is not necessary.

For preservation of 31 basidiomycete strains on perlite in cryovials we used five different perlite protocols to compare their applicability in laboratories with different equipment, namely a viability of the controlled freezing device or the electric deep-freezer and liquid nitrogen supply. The viability of the strains, macromorphological characteristics and the production of laccase were tested after 48 h, six months and one year of storage in the respective device. Our results indicated that the different response to the freezing/thawing process is an intrinsic feature of the respective strain. Nevertheless, the highest viability and preservation of laccase production in our tested strains was found when we used pre-freezing to −80 °C at a freezing rate of 1 °C/min in a programmable IceCube 1800 freezer or in freezing container Mr. Frosty before storage in liquid nitrogen or at ultra-low temperature freezer at −80 °C, respectively. The two abovementioned protocols enable all tested strains to survive three successive freezing/thawing cycles without substantial reduction of growth rate. The majority of the strains also do not lose laccase production. Our results showed that direct immersion of the strains into liquid nitrogen or placing them into −80 °C without pre-freezing is not suitable for basidiomycete cryopreservation.

Hypholoma cinnabarinum (Strophariaceae, Agaricales), a species described from eastern China, was revisited based on new collections from the south of China, from which comprehensive descriptions, color photos and line drawings were obtained. In addition to morphological data, a phylogenetic analysis based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region was also carried out, leading to the conclusion that H. cinnabarinum is a member of Agaricus subgenus Lanagaricus section Trisulphurati (Agaricaceae, Agaricales).

Two new species, Melanoleuca leucopoda and M. porphyropoda, are described based on collections made from Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China. Melanoleuca leucopoda is mainly characterized by its whitish stipe with fibrils and oblong spores with elongated warts. Melanoleuca porphyropoda differs from all other Melanoleuca species in lacking cystidia and in having decurrent gills and a purplish stipe. The sequences of internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) of Melanoleuca species were analyzed and the results indicated that two new species clustered into two clades and differed from the other species of the genus. The combination of morphological and molecular data confirmed that the two fungi are new species. The morphological similarity of the new species to other species of Melanoleuca and the systematic position of the two species based on molecular data are also discussed.

This study determined the vitamin B₁₂ content in commercially available dried fruiting bodies of shiitake mushroom, Lentinula edodes. The vitamin B₁₂ contents in dried donko-type fruiting bodies with closed caps (5.61 ± 3.90 μg/100 g dry weight), did not significantly differ from those of dried koushin-type fruiting bodies with open caps (4.23 ± 2.42 μg/100 g dry weight). The bed logs after fruiting of the mushroom also contained the vitamin B₁₂ levels similar to that in the dried shiitake fruiting bodies. To determine whether the dried shiitake fruiting bodies and their bed logs contained vitamin B₁₂ or other corrinoid compounds that are inactive in humans, we purified corrinoid compounds using an immunoaffinity column and identified vitamin B₁₂ using vitamin B₁₂-dependent Escherichia coli 215 bioautograms and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) chromatograms. Dried shiitake fruiting bodies rarely contained an unnatural corrinoid vitamin B₁₂[c-lactone] that is inactive in humans. Given that shiitake mushroom lacks the ability to synthesize vitamin B₁₂de novo, the vitamin B₁₂ found in dried shiitake fruiting bodies must have been derived from the bed logs.