Mitochondrial recombination during mycelial fusion and its impact on phenotypic traits in Ganoderma sinense
In this study, we employed a monokaryon pairing system of Ganoderma sinense to investigate the dynamic changes of mitochondrial genomes at hyphal contact zones. We identified a class of recombination events occurring within mitochondrial intron regions and further evaluated their effects on strain phenotypes. Our findings reveal a novel mechanism of mitochondrial genetic remodeling during hyphal fusion in basidiomycetes, providing new insights into how mitochondrial genome variation links genetic diversity with phenotypic evolution.