Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

Researchers map and compare the genome of delicious truffles

A most delicious study!

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
November 12, 2018
in Science

Truffles are some of the most delicious (and expensive) foods you can eat. Now, researchers have analyzed their genomes to understand the molecular underpinnings of what makes them so special.

Black truffle (Tuber melanosporum).

With about 1.5 million species, fungi represent one of the most diverse branches of life. However, despite their diversity and usefulness, we know surprisingly little about how they interact in natural and synthetic communities. To bridge this gap, a team of researchers has started a large-scale project, called 1000 Fungal Genomes Project. This project will help us better understand how mushrooms really work, and how we can harvest their benefits for agricultural, industrial, and even climate management purposes. Essentially, the project wants to map the genomes of 1,000 important mushroom species, over the course of five years.

Now, a large team led by Francis Martin hassequenced the genomes of the prized Piedmont white truffle and the Burgundy, desert and pig truffles — four of the most prized species.

[panel style=”panel-success” title=”A mushroom is not a mushroom” footer=””]What we typically call “mushroom” is only the above-ground fruiting body of a complex organism that lies mostly underground. Like most mushrooms, truffles are fruiting bodies filled with spores, each spore being capable of sending out a branching filament (hypha) that can develop into a group and form its own mycelium (the vegetative part of a fungus consisting of many branching filaments). So in a way, it doesn’t make sense to say that a fungus is a truffle, but rather that it has or forms a truffle.[/panel]

Truffles rely on animals to eat the fruiting body and spread the spores around — but like a few other mushrooms, they made the mistake of being too delicious to humans. They are highly appreciated for their exquisite flavor and have been cherished since ancient times, although domestication has largely remained impossible.

Martin and colleagues were looking at how truffles first came to be, and found that truffle-forming species evolved independently more than a hundred times in history. They appear in most groups group of fleshy fungi and remarkably, share numerous genetic similarities with each other, even between unrelated species.

For instance, the Piedmont white truffle, the Burgundy, desert and pig truffles all share similarities with another species, called the Périgord black truffle, as well as non-truffle-forming fungi — despite the fact that they branched out over a hundred million years ago.

They also found that truffles have more genes that produce smelly, pungent, volatile organic compounds, which are likely responsible for generating their distinct aroma that attracts animals and makes them so appreciated by humans.

From a genomic point of view, the analyzed truffle-forming species appear quite similar overall, and although the functions of some genes still remains to be uncovered, the study will go a long way towards helping us understand the lifestyle and morphological functions of these  remarkable organisms.

The study has been published in Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0710-4

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Truffles found to be surprisingly resistant to radioactivity
  2. They smell like garlic but sell like diamonds — what are truffles?
  3. How patients from the second coronavirus wave compare to those in the first wave
  4. Scientists map the final, definite human genome. Here’s why this is a big deal
  5. Scientists discover ‘world’s first bird’, and compare it to another

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW