Comparative proteomic analysis of mushroom cell wall proteins among the different developmental stages of Pleurotus tuber-regium

Cell wall proteins (CWPs) play a vital role in the development of the different morphological stages including mycelium, fruiting body, and sclerotium in mushrooms which are important human food sources. Using fractionation by detergents and reducing agents, mushroom cell wall fractions from the different developmental stages of Pleurotus tuber-regium (PTR) were prepared. Using one-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with LC-MS, there were 103, 91, and 48 noncovalently linked CWPs identified in the cell wall fractions of the PTR mycelium, fruiting body, and sclerotium, respectively. Comparing the CWPs in these cell wall fractions, 19 of them were in common, among which 17 belonged to the functional categories of translation, ribosomal structure, and biogenesis. This is the first study to provide important biochemical insights into the different developmental stages of PTR mediated by CWPs, and the identified CWPs helped to explain the morphological changes of PTR mushrooms during cultivation.