Phylogenetic relationship of Ganoderma species with the polyporaceae based on RFLP analysis of the nuclear ITS region

Restriction-polymorphic patterns of nuclear-ITS were examined for the genetic relationships among 12 basidiomycetous mushrooms belonging to Aphyllophorales and Agaricales. The taxonomic affinity of Ganoderma species with the family Polyporaceae also was examined. With 13 restriction endonucleases, 159 restriction characters were generated from the 12 species examined. UPGMA and neighbor-joining analyses separated the 12 species into two genetically distinct groups that correspond to orders (Agaricales and Aphyllophorales) where each species is included. This result indicates that there is clear genetic demarcation between Agaricales and Aphyllophorales. Dendrograms constructed by several data analyses showed that even though Ganoderma species are somewhat in intermediate taxonomic position between the Polyporaceae and families of the Agaricales, they are genetically more related to the Polyporaceae. These results are consistent with morphological characters observed in those mushrooms. However, it is premature to conclude taxonomic status of Ganoderma species in the present study employing small sample size.ope