Identification of new mutant alleles of pcc1 in the homobasidiomycete Coprinopsis cinerea

It is known that a mutation in the pcc1 gene of the homobasidiomycete Coprinopsis cinerea leads to pseudoclamp development and fruit-body formation in a homokaryon without mating. In this study we characterize two strains that were reported previously to exhibit pseudoclamp development and fruiting without mating, together with six new mutants exhibiting the same phenotype. A frame-shift, nonsense, or intron splice site mutation was present within pcc1 in each of the eight mutants. The results suggest that the Pcc1 protein is a key element in a pathway(s) leading to pseudoclamp development and fruiting.