Microbial Biotechnology

Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458 Vol. 11 No. 3, Issue of July 15, 2008
© 2008 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile Received October 8, 2007 / Accepted January 25, 2008
DOI: 10.2225/vol11-issue3-fulltext-4
RESEARCH ARTICLE

PCR-based sensitive detection of the edible fungus Boletus edulis from rDNA ITS sequences

Bin Lian*
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry
Institute of Geochemistry
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guiyang, China
Tel: 86 851 5895148
Fax: 86 851 5895148
E-mail: bin2368@vip.163.com 

Jin-ping Zang
Jiangsu Key laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology
College of Life Sciences
Nanjing Normal University
Nanjing, China
Tel: 86 25 85891067
Fax: 86 25 85891050
E-mail: zangjp@sina.com

Wei-guo Hou
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry
Institute of Geochemistry
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guiyang, China
Tel: 86 851 5895148
Fax: 86 851 5895148
E-mail: haital@126.com 

Sheng Yuan
Jiangsu Key laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology
College of Life Sciences
Nanjing Normal University
Nanjing, China
Tel: 86 25 85891067
Fax: 86 25 85891050
E-mail: shengyuan@email.njnu.edu.cn

Donald L. Smith
Department of Plant Science
McGill University
Macdonald Campus
Quebec, Canada
Tel: 1 514 398 7866
Fax: 1 514 398 7897
E-mail: Donald.Smith@McGill.Ca

*Corresponding author

Financial support: The National Science Fund for Innovative Research Group (No. 40721002); Attracting Talents of Nanjing Normal University (No. 184070H2B39); Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2006CB403200).

Keywords: Boletus edulis, detection, edible fungi, internal transcribed spacer, PCR, specific primers.

Abbreviations:

AR-PCR: arbitrary primed PCR
ITS: internal transcribed spacer
NJ: neighbour-joining
PCR: polymerase chain reaction
RAPD: random amplified polymorphic DNA
RFLP: restriction fragment length polymorphism

Abstract   Full Text

Identification of commercially important fungi, such as the valuable edible fungus Boletus edulis can be difficult considering visual or metabolic approaches. Based on phylogenetic analysis of the rDNA ITS sequence, a pair of specific primers was designed for differentiating B. edulis from other mushrooms by PCR. PCR was performed with total DNA as a template at an annealing temperature between 56-60ºC. Positive amplicons were obtained from B. edulis with all DNA templates from fruit bodies and cultured mycelium, but not from other fungal species at an annealing temperature of 60ºC. The result indicated that B. edulis could be clearly distinguished from other fungi by PCR, and there were no misidentifications under the reaction conditions used. The primers were also successfully employed to identify various tissues of B. edulis.

Supported by UNESCO / MIRCEN network