iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Huge kudos to all the co-authors, whose contributions were crucial for bringing together the different lines of evidence behind these findings. And special thanks to @laszlognagy.bsky.social, who came up with the idea for this project and, as always, led and coordinated it to perfection! 🙌

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Working with the model mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea, we combined laser-capture microdissection with low-input RNA-seq, CRISPR-edited knockout mutants, and comparative genomics to uncover the molecular basis and evolution of this developmental system.🔬🧬

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Our latest preprint asks: Do mushrooms have “real” tissues, and how do they regulate tissue development? We found that a sex pheromone–receptor system originally involved in mating compatibility has been co-opted to regulate tissue development. 🍄https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-10877730/v1

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

🧑‍🤝‍🧑Shout-out to all co-authors — this study truly was a team effort. Special thanks to polypore expert Viktor Papp and former MSc student Spike RJ Parker, who carried out much of the wet lab work that made this project possible.

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

🔍Because of all this, we propose the common name “False Lingzhi” for G. lucidum to clearly distinguish it from G. lingzhi, supporting accurate identification, safer product development, and reliable research.

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

🧬Finally, we analysed all publicly available Ganoderma genomes and found that every genome labelled as G. lucidum actually belongs to G. lingzhi, G. multipileum, or G. resinaceum. This means that at the moment, no confirmed G. lucidum genome assembly is available.

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

🗺️Furthermore, we detected two geographic subclades within G. lucidum: a western lineage and an East Asian lineage, which could suggest cryptic speciation. We also found a Bolivian environmental sequence, possibly indicating human-mediated introduction to South America, similar to North America.

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

🧬At the same time, we found that standard ITS barcoding performs poorly in this group, although phylogenetic placement considerably improves identification. We therefore placed >1,000 putative G. lucidum ITS sequences into our reference phylogeny, but only 149 could be confidently assigned.

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

⌛Then, we identified a historical specimen that closely matches the original 1781 description. Using this reference, we showed that Lingzhi diverged from G. lucidum at least 12 million years ago, and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses clearly separate G. lucidum from related species.

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

🤷‍♂️But despite important biological and chemical differences, the names G. lucidum and G. lingzhi are still widely used interchangeably in both scientific literature and commercial products.

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

⚕️Meanwhile, a very similar species — G. lingzhi (“Lingzhi” or “Reishi”) — has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. Modern studies have shown anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and other bioactive effects.

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

⚠️The problem is that G. lucidum (“False Lingzhi”, formerly called the lacquered bracket) was described in 1781, but no original biological reference material survived. This created long-standing confusion among both researchers and the public.

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

👨‍🎓I took this photo in 2007 while studying fungal diversity in a local forest in Hungary as a high school student. I never imagined I would end up co-authoring a paper on this enigmatic mushroom nearly 20 years later. Preprint feedback welcome!

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Torda Varga @vtorda.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

📝We’ve finished the first draft of our Ganoderma lucidum “origin” article: “A historical specimen of False Lingzhi (Ganoderma lucidum) resolves a 245-year-old confusion within an important medicinal mushroom group.” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.org

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