Abstract
Pleurotus strains are the most important fungi used in the agricultural industry. The exact characterization and identification of Pleurotus species is fundamental for correct identification of the individuals and exploiting their full potential in food industry. The amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method was applied for genomic fingerprinting of 21 Pleurotus isolates of Asian and European origin. Using one PstI restriction endonuclease and four selective primers in an AFLP assay, 371 DNA fragments were generated, including 308 polymorphic bands. The AFLP profiles were found to be highly specific for each strain and they unambiguously distinguished 21 Pleurotus sp. fungi. The coefficient of Jaccard's genome profile similarity between the analyzed strains ranged from 0.0 (Pleurotus sp. I vs. P. sajor-caju 237 and P. eryngii 238) to 0.750 (P. ostreatus 246 vs. P. ostreatus 248), and the average was 0.378. The AFLP-based dendrogram generated by the UPGMA method grouped all the Pleurotus fungi studied into two major clusters and one independent lineage located on the outskirt of the tree occupied by naturally growing Pleurotus species strain I. The results of the present study suggest the possible applicability of the AFLP-PstI method in effective identification and molecular characterization of Pleurotus sp. strains.