Isolation and varietal characterization of Ganoderma resinaceum from areas of Ganoderma lucidum production in China

Ganoderma resinaceum has many medicinal effects (e.g., it improves lung, kidney, spleen, and stomach function). However, there have been few studies of G. resinaceum. Here we obtained eight fungal strains from different areas of Ganoderma lucidum production in China, three of which were identified as G. resinaceum based on their internal transcribed spacer sequences. Then, we compared the fruiting bodies, basidiospore morphologies, and the immune active protein-encoding Lz8 gene sequences of G. resinaceum and G. lucidum. The results showed that there were few differences in the agronomic characteristics (such as the shape and pileus color of the fruiting body) between the two species. Further tests showed that the polysaccharide content of G. resinaceum was lower than that in G. lucidum, while its triterpenoid content was higher. A phylogenetic tree of 1z8 gene sequences and high-performance liquid chromatography triterpene fingerprinting identified large differences between G. resinaceum and G. lucidum. Overall, the characteristics of the G. resinaceum and G. lucidum strains were similar in many respects. The results of this study provide a technical reference and breeding materials for exploiting Ganoderma species, including breeding improved varieties.