Homocitrate synthase expression and lysine content in fruiting body of different developmental stages in Flammulina velutipes.

Homocitrate synthase (EC 2.3.3.14) regulates the first step of fungal lysine biosynthesis. The gene encoding homocitrate synthase was identified in whole genomic sequencing of Flammulina velutipes and contains seven introns. The homocitrate synthase gene of F. velutipes strain W23 (Fvhcs) is 1780 bp in length and encodes a 464 amino acid protein with a predicted molecular weight 50.7 kDa. Phylogenetic analysis of Fvhcs and other homocitrate synthase proteins from diverse fungi produced a topology congruent with the current best estimate of organismal phylogeny. Analysis of protein domains by InterProScan and a motif search found that Fvhcs gene encodes homocitrate synthase protein conserved across Agaricomycotina. In addition, we sequenced the transcriptome of different developmental stages and structures of the fruiting body to analyze the expression levels of the Fvhcs gene. The data showed a correlation between Fvhcs gene expression and lysine values in different developmental stages and structures of F. velutipes.