The good, the bad and the tasty: The many roles of mushrooms

Abstract

Fungi are often inconspicuous in nature and this means it is all too easy to overlook their importance. Often referred to as the “Forgotten Kingdom”, fungi are key components of life on this planet. The phylum Basidiomycota, considered to contain the most complex and evolutionarily advanced members of this Kingdom, includes some of the most iconic fungal species such as the gilled mushrooms, puffballs and bracket fungi. Basidiomycetes inhabit a wide range of ecological niches, carrying out vital ecosystem roles, particularly in carbon cycling and as symbiotic partners with a range of other organisms. Specifically in the context of human use, the basidiomycetes are a highly valuable food source and are increasingly medicinally important. In this review, seven main categories, or ‘roles’, for basidiomycetes have been suggested by the authors: as model species, edible species, toxic species, medicinal basidiomycetes, symbionts, decomposers and pathogens, and two species have been chosen as representatives of each category. Although this is in no way an exhaustive discussion of the importance of basidiomycetes, this review aims to give a broad overview of the importance of these organisms, exploring the various ways they can be exploited to the benefit of human society.

Chemical, nutritive composition and a wide range of bioactive properties of honey mushroom Armillaria mellea (Vahl: Fr.) Kummer

“…20 A. mellea was believed to be a highly polymorphic species complex, revealing approximately 40 described species with lifestyles that range from saprotrophic to pathogenic. 21 It has been traditionally used in Chinese herbal medicine to treat headache, hypertension, epilepsy, insomnia, neurasthenia and many other disorders. 19 Also, it has been proved to have an antihyperglycemic effect.…”

Draft Genome Sequence of the Coprinoid Mushroom Coprinopsis strossmayeri

“…Basidiomycete fungi are part of a hugely varied phylum of organisms capable of carrying out a diversity of important roles (1). The coprinoid mushrooms encompass fungi from the Coprinus , Coprinopsis , and Coprinellus genera, and, along with the Parasola , comprise the Psathyrellaceae family (2).…”

Further biochemical profiling ofHypholoma fascicularemetabolome reveals its chemogenetic diversity

“…Mushroom forming fungi are recognised to produce a plethora of special compounds to defeat competitive organisms coexist in their ecosystem. These are usually known as specialised secondary metabolites or natural products which often have bioactive properties such as antimicrobial, antitumor and insecticide amongst others (1). However, historically most secondary metabolites have been derived from bacteria and ascomycetes fungi, overlooking basidiomycetes as a potential repository of novel natural products.…”