African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12487

Full Length Research Paper

DNA-based identification of Lentinula edodes strains with species-specific primers

Pheba L. George
  • Pheba L. George
  • Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Alabama A&M University, Normal AL 35762, United States of America.
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Venkateswara R. Sripathi
  • Venkateswara R. Sripathi
  • Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Alabama A&M University, Normal AL 35762, United States of America.
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Seloame T. Nyaku
  • Seloame T. Nyaku
  • Crop Science Department, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 44, Legon-Accra, Ghana.
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Govind C. Sharma
  • Govind C. Sharma
  • Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Alabama A&M University, Normal AL 35762, United States of America.
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Ramesh V. Kantety
  • Ramesh V. Kantety
  • Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Alabama A&M University, Normal AL 35762, United States of America.
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  •  Received: 07 November 2015
  •  Accepted: 25 January 2016
  •  Published: 17 February 2016

Abstract

Lentinula edodes is among the five globally cultivated edible mushrooms, which are wood decaying spore bearing Basidiomycetes possessing separate hyphae. Specific identification of this fungus from others in the division Basidiomycota using specific primers enables a fast and accurate detection through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). As a prelude to additional nutritional and sequence characterization research, we have developed a species-specific PCR assay for this fungus after screening four primer-pairs and two universal primer pairs. The primer-pair LE1F/R was specific in amplifications of ATCC-defined L. edodes strains and did not amplify DNA from six medicinally and nutritionally important fungal reference strains, Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus), Maitake (Grifola frondosa), Enoki (Flammulina velutipes), Baby bella (Agaricus bisporus), Porcini (Boletus edulis), and Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius). However, amplifications using the universal primers were positive for all six strains. This assay will therefore serve to validate morphology-based-identifications of L. edodes strains.

Key words: Lentinula edodes, LE1F/R, species-specific primers.