rDNA ITS Sequence Analysis and Molecular Phylogeny of Four Fungal Strains Assigned to the Family Russulaceae

Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of four edible and medicinal fungi belonging to the Russulaceae, collected from the Lishui mountainous area of Zhejiang Province, were cloned and sequenced. Comparisons with sequence data in GenBank were undertaken using BLAST, and the four ITS sequences, together with 15 reference sequences obtained from GenBank, were used to construct a phylogenetic tree. rDNA ITS sequences of the four strains ranged from 673 to 766 bp in length and between 47.4% and 49.48% in GC content. Phylogenetic data indicated strain R57 to be Russula cyanoxantha. Differences in the size and GC content of ITS sequences from strains R32 and R57 (R. cyanoxantha) and strain L37 (Lactarius sanguifluus) were significant, whereas the corresponding differences between strains R32 and R57 were relatively small. A close kinship, with only small detectable differences in their respective ITS sequences, existed between R. mustelina, R. virescens and R. parazurea. A similar situation applied to strains of L. sanguifluus and L. salmonicolor.