Status and prospects of research on edible fungi protoplast fusion technology

Protoplast fusion technology originated from cell-cell fusion technology in the 1950s and was initially applied to animal cells. The advantage of applying it in the field of edible fungi breeding is that compared with conventional natural selection and hybrid breeding methods, it could more effectively overcome certain incompatibility obstacles to achieve distant hybridization, and more purposefully select parents to obtain new varieties with outstanding characteristics. For these reasons protoplast fusion technology is becoming of great significance for the improvement of edible fungi strains, the breeding of new varieties, and the taming of difficult-to-cultivate species. At present, relatively stable and capable-of-fruiting fusants are limited to several genus and species, and using protoplast fusion for distant hybridization requires new breakthroughs overcoming vegetative incompatibilities. Technically, the acquisition and identification of fusants could also be improved to a more controllable approach. This article focuses on the longitudinal discussion of the role of protoplast fusion technology in the genetic breeding of edible fungi. It explains: i) the preparation and regeneration of protoplasts in the process, ii) the specific methods of fusion, iii) the identification, mutagenesis, and rejuvenation of fusants, and iv) possible impacts of two incompatible systems. Certain application practice cases are also introduced to summarize its promotion prospects.