PROTOPLAST FUSION BETWEEN LENTINULA EDODES AND CORIOLUS-VERSICOLOR

Protoplast fusion between isoleucine-, arginine- and thymidine-requiri ng auxotroph (Ile(-), Arg(-), Thy(-)) of Lentinula edodes and arginine -requiring auxotroph (Arg(-)) of Coriolus versicolor has been achieved using 30% polyethylene glycol (M.W. 4000) in 10 mM CaCl2-glycine solu tion (pH 8.0). Fusion hybrids were selected in the 0.6 M sucrose suppl emented minimal media on the basis of nutritional complementation with fusion frequency of 7.4x10(-6). The hybrids included both parental an d non-parental types in colony morphology, growth rate and isozyme pat terns. We succeeded inter-order protoplast fusion between the auxotrop hs of Lentinula edodes and Coriolus versicolor overcoming the natural barriers of incompatibility. We examined the characteristics of the hy brids and clarified the fusion process using electron microscopy.