We investigated 18 amino acid contents in the fruiting bodies of Agaricus strains to understand their variation in the harvesting periods. Total content of amino acid was different depending on the isolates. In the case of A. bitorquis and A. brunnescens, the total amino acid content increased and correlated with the harvesting periods. For commercial strains of A. bisporus, such as Yangsongi-505, Yangsongi-705 and commercial strain A collected in the market, it increased until the second harvesting period, but decreased in the third harvesting period indicating that these three isolates exhibit the exceptions for the general trend. Among isolates we used in our experiments, the isolate of A. brunnescens contained the highest and two isolates of A. bisporus were the lowest in total amino acids. We found two trends for the contents of each amino acid in the fruiting bodies of Agaricus spp.. One is the same with the trend of the total amino acid content and the amino acid content were largely correlated with the harvesting period. The other is the trend of increase of amino acid until the second harvesting period and decrease of amino acid in the third harvesting period, which was also shown in the total amino acid content of A. bisporus. Generally, the most amino acid contained in Agaricus was cysteine and followed by phenylalanine, glutamic acid, lysine, proline and histidine.

To understand the saccharide contents and quantity of winter mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) according to its growth temperature, we measured the saccharide contents at different growth temperature. In our results, the saccharide of its fruiting body turned out to be mainly composed of xylose, trehalose and mannitol in all treatments. In the other hand, Ribose, myo-inositol and sucrose were detected in some treatments. The quantity of trehalose decreased as the growth temperature increased with a variation of its quantity depending on the isolates used in the experiments. In the case of xylose and mannitol, detected in all treatments, the pattern of their quantities was not possible to be profiled and the pattern might be largely depending on the isolates. However, the quantities of xylose and mannitol were largely in a direct proportion and the fluctuation of their quantities was congruent with the exception of ASI 4103, ASI 4166 and ASI 4065. The xylose quantity of ASI 4103 and ASI 4166 increased until the temperature was up to 10℃ and decreased when the temperature was above 10℃. That of ASI 4065 decreased as the temperature rose and increased when above 13℃. The mannitol quantity of ASI　4065 and ASI 4166 decreased until the temperature was up to 10℃ and increased when the temperature was above 10℃. That of ASI 4103 increased as the temperature rose and decreased when above 13℃.

Flammulina velutipes, amongst others known as Winter Mushroom or Enokitake is an important economic crop in Asia. The tetrapolarity (having four mating types) of this mushroom obligates mating and results in self-sterile progeny that carries unique genetic traits, making understanding of the genetic base desirable for breeding. Moreover, mating type genes are significant for evolutionary studies as their high polymorphism benefits phylogenetic comparisons. This polymorphism further makes mating type genes interesting candidates for genetic markers that allow identification of specific strains. Mating type loci in Agaricomycotina are classically termed A and B and control two different developmental pathways [for a review see 1]. They consist of tightly linked subloci that encode multiallelic genes. MatA loci contain two groups of divergently transcribed homeodomain proteins (HD1 and HD2) and heterodimerization of HD1 with a non-self HD2 protein forms a functional transcription factor that activates the A pathway. MatB loci hold pheromones and pheromone receptors. Pheromone genes encode small precursor proteins that are characterized by a C-terminal CAAX motif. Pheromone receptors typically contain 7 membrane spanning regions and are coupled to G-proteins. Binding of a pheromone to a receptor, triggers splicing of the (trimeric) G-protein, which activates the B pathway. New genetic data from recent genome sequences is challenging the strict concepts of old mating type models in fungi. MatB loci turn out to be rather diverse and contain considerable varying numbers of pheromone receptors and associated pheromones. To this, pheromone receptors which are not linked to matB loci have now been reported for C. cincerea, S. commune and L. bicolor [2, 3]. Also the organization of the matA locus is less strictly conserved than anticipated. Though far more tightly maintained than the matB locus, substantial differences in HD gene numbers and overall organization are reported [2, 3]. These differences stress the importance of determination of the individual mating type systems from industrially important mushrooms to assist breeding. Our analysis of F. velutipes strain 4019-20 uncovered 7 pheromone receptors together with 3 pheromones. The matB-3 locus of this strain however, is defined by only a single pheromone receptor and pheromone gene and our data strongly indicates that a 2nd pheromone receptor recently lost its function. The other receptor genes are non mating type specific. Finally, we detected three homeodomain genes distributed over two distant subloci. These subloci have been separated by two large inversions. Strikingly the distant matA subloci in S. commune seem to be separated by inversions as well. Synthenic mapping of a large regions from Coprinus cinerea, Laccaria bicolor, S. commune and F. velutipes shows that the matA loci originate from a single locus in a common ancestor of S. commune and F. velutipes that is represented by L. bicolor and C. cinerea. [1] U Kües. Micr Mol Biol Rev 64, 316 (2000) [2] H Niculita-Hirzel, J Labbé, A Kohler, F le Tacon, F Martin, IR Sanders and U Kües. New Phytol 180, 329 (2008). [3] RA Ohm, JF de Jong, LG Lugones, A aerts, E Kothe, JE Stajich, RP de Vries, E Record, A Levasseur, SE Baker, KA Bartholomew, PM Couthino, S Erdmann, TJ Fowler, AC Gathman, V Lombard, B Henrissat, N Knabe, U Kües, WW Lilly, E Lindquist, S Lucas, JK Magnuson, F Piumi, M Rausdaskoski, A Salamov, J Schmutz, FWMr Schwarze, PA van Kuyk, JS Horton, IV Grigoriev and HAB Wösten. Nat. Biotechnol ISSN: 1087-0156 (2010).

This study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of black sesame oil on hair growth in a shaving animal model of C57BL/6 mice. Five-week-old male mice were acclimated for one week under 22±1 µl room temperature, 50±5% relative humidity, and 12 hours of a light/dark cycle before beginning the experiment. The animals were divided into three groups, including the normal group (saline, N), positive control group (3% MXD, PC), and experimental group (black sesame oil, E) and received topical application of 100 µl once per day, six days per week, for a period of three weeks. Hair regrowth was evaluated by gross and histological examination. In addition, immunohistochemical observation for SCF, the activities of enzymes, including ALP and γ-GT, and the expression quantity of growth factors, including IGF-1 in the skin of mice was performed or evaluated. Topical treatment with black sesame oil and 3% minoxidil for three weeks to dorsal skin resulted in more rapid acceleration of hair regrowth in the E and PC groups than in the N group. Development and elongation of hair follicles were promoted in the E and PC groups, compared with the N group. Serum ALP activity was significantly higher in the E group, compared with the N group within three weeks (p<0.05). Skin ALP activity was significantly higher in the PC group, compared with the N group within two weeks (p<0.05), and higher in the E and PC groups than in the N group within three weeks with no significant differences. Serum γ-GT activity was significantly higher in the PC group, compared with the N group within two weeks (p<0.01), and significantly higher in the E group, compared with the N group within three weeks (p<0.05). Skin γ-GT activity was significantly higher in the PC group, compared with the N group within two weeks (p<0.05), and significantly higher in the PC (p<0.01) and E (p<0.001) groups, compared with the N group within three weeks. IGF-1 expression in the skin was significantly higher in the PC and E groups, compared with the N group (p<0.01). SCF antigens were heavily stained in bulge, stem cells, and dermal papilla and middle stained in inner root sheath, outer root sheath, and epidermis in the E and PC groups. These results indicate that black sesame oil effectively stimulated hair growth in an animal model via several mechanisms and that it can be used practically for hair growth or prevention of hair loss in human beings.