Mating-Type Genes Play an Important Role in Fruiting Body Development in .

True morels ( spp.) are edible mushrooms that are commercially important worldwide due to their rich nutrition and unique appearance. In recent years, outdoor cultivation has been achieved and expanded on a large scale in China. However, the mechanisms of fruiting body development in morels are poorly understood. In this study, the role of mating-type genes in fruiting body development was researched. Fruiting bodies cultivated with different mating-type strains showed no difference in appearance, but the ascus and ascospores were slightly malformed in fruiting bodies obtained from the strains. The transcript levels of mating-type genes and their target genes revealed that the regulatory mechanisms were conserved in ascomycetes fungi. The silencing of by RNA interference verified the direct regulatory effect of on its target genes at the asexual stage. When cultivated with the spawn of single mating-type strains of or , only one corresponding mating-type gene was detected in the mycelial and conidial samples, but both and were detected in the samples of primordium, pileus, and stipe. An understanding of the mating-type genes' role in fruiting body development in may help to understand the life cycle and facilitate artificial cultivation.