Natural Strain Observation of Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) from South Africa Using 18S rDNA

Mehrnoush Aminisarteshnizi

Background and Objective: Agaricus bisporus, known as button mushroom, is an edible basidiomycete, which is distributed worldwide. The purpose of the study was to determine the native button mushroom growing in the natural land of South Africa. Besides, the white button mushroom is the most cultivated A. bisporus in South Africa. Materials and Methods: During a survey on the soil and aquatic biology and ecology in South Africa, a natural strain of button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) was recovered in association with a pine tree in Sovenga Hills in Limpopo Province. Then the DNA was extracted to assess the 18S rDNA as a marker. Results: The NBLAST showed 99% similarity with an American strain of A. bisporus (acc. no. AY787216) and Chinese strain (acc. no. FJ869172). The phylogenetic analysis using the 18S rDNA marker showed that all A. bisporus strains could be differentiated from A. silvaticus. However, the South African strain of A. bisporus stands close to the Chinese strain of A. bisporus. The genetic distance indicated the highest differences between the South African and a Chinese (acc. no. JX268572) strain of A. bisporus. Conclusion: The results suggest that 18S rDNA could be a helpful marker for the natural strain of the South African A. bisporus. This is the first report of 18S rDNA for A. bisporus in South Africa.

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