February 2024
Davis Upchurch
Project Name
Deep-sequence the entire genomes of T. regimontanum and T. eburneum
Funding
NATGA Micro Grant
Status
Ongoing. As of October 2025 : one haplotype of T. regimontanum has been sequenced. It is MAT1. Next is find and MAT2
Abstract
What this will accomplish is a full-genome map, allowing comparison between North American Melanosporum-clade species and those from Europe. Genetic differences will give insights into climate adaptations (i.e., low pH and high phosphorus), host-specificity (T. eburneum occurs with Pines), as well as potential management information for growers that might increase success in the U.S.
These insights into the arrival and evolution of the Melanosporum clade would lead to an understanding of MAT-loci presence/absence in the new species, why these species have different hosts, and how they tolerate atypical environments. In the long term, they would prove useful in cultivating one or both species, offering further differentiation in/to the U.S. truffle market landscape.
To me, the largest benefit is to tie the research back to NATGA and TRAPI, generating material for publicity and further grant successes. Another large benefit is that this opens up the possibility for new species cultivation for NATGA constituents.
As a final note, I wanted to clarify a few things regarding the project:
- Both T. regimontanum and T. eburneum are rare—they are not a North American T. indicum. To the scientific communities’ knowledge, they are relegated to quite small geographic regions.
- Deep-sequencing is different compared to sending specimens for PCR—which usually use primers for ITS sequencing. Deep-sequencing allows a look at the entire genome and a comparison between species. It has not been done for either species mentioned.
- Collaborators: Matt Smith and Gonzalo Guerrero (first discoverer of T. regimontanum) and they will be actively involved as much as possible; particularly Gonzalo.