Home • Morchella rufobrunnea NRRL 28464 v1.0
Photos of cultivated M. rufobrunnea provided by Gary Mills.
Photos of cultivated M. rufobrunnea provided by Gary Mills.

In the "1KFG: Deep Sequencing of Ecologically-relevant Dikarya" project (CSP1974), we aim to sequence additional sampling of genomic diversity within keystone lineages of plant-interacting fungi and saprophytic fungi that are of special ecological importance for understanding terrestrial ecosystems. In addition, comparative genome analysis with saprotrophic, mycorrhizal and pathogenic fungi will provide new insights into the specific and conserved adaptations associated with each fungal lifestyle.

Within the framework of CSP1974, we are sequencing phylogenetically and morphologically diverse species of Morchellaceae. These fungi include economically important edible morels (Morchella), putatively toxic false-morels (Verpa), and the edible hypogeous truffle genera Leucangium and Kalapuya (1–3). The ecology of these taxa is still poorly understood. Some Morchella species are suspected to be mycorrhizal symbionts (4), others grow as endophytes within plant roots (5,6), some farm bacteria (7), but the majority of species (including the cultivated species of morels) are considered to be general saprotrophs (8,9). The Morchellaceae lineage is hypothesized to have originated and radiated in the Northern Hemisphere, later dispersing into Southern hemisphere regions (10). Genomic data generated by this project will be used to better identify genomic features underlying the distinct ecology, diversity, and morphology of Morchellaceae fungi.

Here we present the genome of M. rufobrunnea, a representative of the most basal of the three Morchella clades. Originally described from Mexico in 1998 (11), this range of this species extends in Western North America into the US state of Oregon, and the species is also known from Europe and Australia (12 - 14). Morchella rufobrunnea was also the first species of morels to be cultivated indoors, albeit mistakenly referred to as M. esculenta at the time (15, 16). Commonly known as 'the blushing morel' because orange or reddish stains can develop on the stipe or cap, it is also known as 'the landscaping morel' given the habit of this morel species to fruit in disturbed landscapes, including on woodchips and compost. Spores of isolate NRRL 28464 were obtained from a morel cultivated by Dr. Gary Mills in 1990 and germinated by Dr. Kerry O’Donnell in 1998.

Researchers who wish to publish analyses using data from unpublished CSP genomes are respectfully required to contact the PI and JGI to avoid potential conflicts on data use and coordinate other publications with the CSP master paper(s).

References

  1. O’Donnell, K., Cigelnik, E., Weber, N. S. & Trappe, J. M. Phylogenetic Relationships among Ascomycetous Truffles and the True and False Morels Inferred from 18S and 28S Ribosomal DNA Sequence Analysis. Mycologia 89, 48–65 (1997).
  2. Gecan, J. S. & Cichowicz, S. M. Toxic Mushroom Contamination of Wild Mushrooms in Commercial Distribution. J. Food Prot. 56, 730–734 (1993).
  3. Trappe, M. J., Trappe, J. & Bonito, G. Kalapuya brunnea gen. & sp. nov. and its relationship to the other sequestrate genera in Morchellaceae. Mycologia 102, 1058–1065 (2010).
  4. Buscot, F. Mycorrhizal succession and morel biology. Mycorrhizas in ecosystems 220–224 (1992).
  5. Masaphy, S., Zabari, L., Goldberg, D. & Jander-Shagug, G. The complexity of Morchella systematics: a case of the yellow morel from Israel. Fungi 3, 14–18 (2010).
  6. Baynes, M., Newcombe, G., Dixon, L., Castlebury, L. & O’Donnell, K. A novel plant–fungal mutualism associated with fire. Fungal Biol. 116, 133–144 (2012).
  7. Pion, M., Spangenberg, J. E., Simon, A., Bindschedler, S., Flury, C., Chatelain, A., Bshary, R., Job, D. & Junier, P. Bacterial farming by the fungus Morchella crassipes. Proc. Biol. Sci. 280, 20132242 (2013).
  8. Benucci, G. M. N., Longley, R., Zhang, P., Zhao, Q., Bonito, G. & Yu, F. Microbial communities associated with the black morel Morchella sextelata cultivated in greenhouses. PeerJ 7, e7744 (2019).
  9. Hobbie, E. A., Rice, S. F., Weber, N. S. & Smith, J. E. Isotopic evidence indicates saprotrophy in post-fire Morchella in Oregon and Alaska. Mycologia 108, 638–645 (2016).
  10. O’Donnell, K., Rooney, A. P., Mills, G. L., Kuo, M., Weber, N. S. & Rehner, S. A. Phylogeny and historical biogeography of true morels (Morchella) reveals an early Cretaceous origin and high continental endemism and provincialism in the Holarctic. Fungal Genet. Biol. 48, 252–265 (2011).
  11. Guzmán, G., & Tapia, F. The Known Morels in Mexico, a Description of a New Blushing Species, Morchella rufobrunnea, and New Data on M. guatemalensis. Mycologia 90 (4): 705–14. (1998).
  12. Loizides, M., Alvarado, P., Clowez, P., Moreau, P., de la Osa, L. R., & Palazón, A. Morchella tridentina, M. rufobrunnea, and M. kakiicolor: A Study of Three Poorly Known Mediterranean Morels, with Nomenclatural Updates in Section Distantes. Mycological Progress 14 (3): 13 (2015).
  13. Elliott, T. F., Bougher, N. L., O’Donnell, K., & Trappe, J. M. Morchella australiana Sp. Nov., an Apparent Australian Endemic from New South Wales and Victoria. Mycologia 106 (1): 113–18 (2014).
  14. Kuo, M. Morchella tomentosa, a New Species from Western North America, and Notes on M. rufobrunnea. Mycotaxon 105: 441 (2008).
  15. Ower, R. Notes on the Development of the Morel Ascocarp: Morchella esculenta. Mycologia 74 (1): 142–44 (1982).
  16. Ower, R. D., Mills, G. L., & Malachowski, J. A. Cultivation of Morchella. (1986). https://patents.google.com/patent/US4757640A/en