If you’re reading this you’ve made it to the end….well almost! Part 4, ‘Microbes in the Spotlight’ series,Coprinus cinereus, let’s go!
Latin Name: Coprinus cinereus
Common name: Gray shag
Appearance under the microscope:No growth on the chosen media meant I didn’t get to view it under the microscope. If you were to view it expect to see veils and filaments (hyphae)
Optimum Temperature: 25 °C
This fungus is in the Psathyrellaceae and has a typical mushroom form but unlike most mushrooms it can complete its entire life cycle which is two weeks.This organism produces sexual spores on a club-shaped structure, cap dissolves into an inky black mass at maturity.
The life cycle is a point of interests to scientists. The haploid spores that germinate grow a hyphae, compatible filaments fuse, a new growth pattern is established and a dikaryon is produced. A dikaryon is a cell composed of two haploid cells, in which each haploid cell comes from each parent; the dikaryon has the ability to respond to light and nutrition. This meiotic process along with spore formation happens in the folded tissue sheets within the mushroom cap, these are called gills. The inky mass produced at maturation is in fact spore discharge from the gills.
The opening gif displays the ‘interesting’ culture Coprinopsis cinerea arrived in: Potato Dextrose Agar with Rabbit Dung at 25° C. Now you may have access to Rabbit Dung but unfortunately it was not available in the lab.
What was done instead was Coprinopsis cinerea was cultured in YPD at 25° C. No growth was unserved :(
Some research suggests that the Coprinopsis cinerea requires a fatty acid source, hence the need for the Rabbit Dung! An alternative that could be explored is Yeast and Malt Extract with Glucose Media (YMG).....yes we are pausing for a recipe:
YMG (broth)
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YMG (agar)
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Yeast extract…...4g
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Yeast extract…...4g
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Malt extract…...10g
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Malt extract…...10g
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Glucose…..4g
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Glucose…..4g
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1000ml of Distilled Water
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Calcium Carbonate…...2g
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Agar…...12g
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1000ml Distilled Water
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To prepare YMG (broth):
- Dissolve in 850ml of distilled water
- 4g Glucose
- 4g Yeast extract
- 10g Malt extract
- Adjust pH to between 7.2 with KOH
- Bring to 1000ml with distilled water
- Autoclave or filter sterilize
To prepare YMG (agar):
- Dissolve the following in 850ml of distilled water
- 4g Glucose
- 4g Yeast extract
- 10g Malt extract
- 2g CaCO3
- 12g Agar
- Adjust pH to between 7.2 with KOH
- Bring to 1000ml with distilled water
- Autoclave or filter sterilize
Now you’ve reached the end 😃
Want to find out more?
"Coprinopsis cinerea (Schaeff.) Redhead, Vilgalys & Moncalvo 2001". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
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