Importance of a Laccase Gene (Lcc1) in the Development of Ganoderma tsugae.

In this study, a novel laccase gene () from was isolated and its functions were characterized in detail. The results showed that has the highest expression activity during mycelium development and fruit body maturation based on the analysis of RNA transcripts at different developmental stages of . To investigate the exact contribution of to mycelium and fruit body development in , transgenic strains were constructed by targeted gene replacement and over-expression approaches. The results showed that the lignin degradation rate in deletion mutant was much lower than the degradation efficiency of the wild-type (WT), over-expression and rescue strains. The lignin degradation activity of is dependent on and the deletion of exerted detrimental influences on the development of mycelium branch. Furthermore, the study uncovered that deletion mutants generated much shorter pale grey fruit bodies, suggesting that contributes directly to pigmentation and stipe elongation during fruit body development in . The information obtained in this study provides a novel and mechanistic insight into the specific role of during growth and development of .