Pleurotus ostreatus mutants resequencing (PRJCA021167)
Microbial adaptation to organic toxins like antibiotics is strikingly rapid, while whether eukaryotic organisms can evolve for higher metal resistance in laboratory conditions is still unknown. In this study, we challenged a macrofungi, Pleurotus ostreatus, in a designed microbial evolution and growth arena (MEGA)-plate with an extreme Cd gradient. Within months, the wild-type strain evolved with increased Cd tolerance, resulting in 10 mutants. Molecular markers identified two phenotypes among these mutants. Tests showed that the mutants exhibited up to a 3-fold increase in Cd tolerance but had slower growth rates.