title: Ectomycorrhizas in vitro between Tricholoma matsutake, a basidiomycete that associates with Pinaceae, and Betula platyphylla var. japonica, an early-successional birch species, in cool-temperate forests.
abstract: Tricholoma matsutake is an ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete that associates with Pinaceae in the Northern Hemisphere and produces prized "matsutake" mushrooms. We questioned whether the symbiont could associate with a birch that is an early-successional species in boreal, cool-temperate, or subalpine forests. In the present study, we demonstrated that T. matsutake can form typical ectomycorrhizas with Betula platyphylla var. japonica; the associations included a Hartig net and a thin but distinct fungal sheath, as well as the rhizospheric mycelial aggregate "shiro" that is required for fruiting in nature. The in vitro shiro also emitted a characteristic aroma. This is the first report of an ectomycorrhizal formation between T. matsutake and a deciduous broad-leaved tree in the boreal or cool-temperate zones that T. matsutake naturally inhabits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Microbiology and Mushroom Science, Forestry & Forest Products Research Institute, Matsunosato 1, Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan, murmur@ffpri.affrc.go.jp.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Akiyoshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neda
mesh_terms: D029662:Betula / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D065928:Forests; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D028201:Pinaceae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D013559:Symbiosis; D014197:Trees / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D055439:Tricholoma / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*