Development of a molecular method to identify and differentiate individuals of Serpula lacrymans, a wood mushroom decomposer

PI : Francis Martin (UMR IAM, INRA Nancy)

Co-applicants : Dominique Barry-Etienne (Société ALCINA, Montpellier)

ARBRE Thematic work packages (WP) associated with this project : WP1 and WP3

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Context – Serpula (Serpula lacrymans) is fungus that which grows on and decomposes wood, particularly wood structures which are damp, poorly ventilated and/or poorly maintained. Eventually, fungus colonization leads to the formation of Brown rot that directly affects the solidity of the wood rendering the structure dangerous. Financial damages incurred by insurance companies,  individuals, or communities can be considerable.  But it is human bodily harm caused by the collapse of a building, which poses the greatest catastrophic potential. Considering the progressive speed with which Serpula is developing on French territory and in light of the long-term objective of establishing certification of non-presence of the fungus on a property, the development of innovative tools for early detection and genetic identification of this fungus is now timely.

Objectives – UMR IaM and the Alcina comany propose the development of a molecular method to identify and differentiate between individuals of serpula by tools based on polymorphism of the sequence of the nuclear genome of the fungus.

Approach – Both methods are to be evaluated for their ability to distinguish genetically different individuals (genotypes) through: (1) profile analysis in repeated micro-satellite sequences, and (2) comparison of their genome sequence by re-sequencing at high speed and through alignment of the sequences on the nuclear genome of the Serpula lacrymans reference in order to identify new polymorphic molecular markers, including nucleotide variants (SNPs). Molecular tools developed in this partnership will be valorized and marketed by the company ALCINA. The company will be responsible for publicizing developments of new tools to professionals offering expertise services for houses and the FCBA and CTBA institutes. It will offer its tools to research organizations for use in research experiments.