CELL DEGENERATION AND GILL REMODELING DURING BASIDIOCARP DEVELOPMENT IN THE FUNGUS COPRINUS-CINEREUS

The early mushroom gill development in a primordium of Coprinus cinereus was studied by electron microscopy. Extensive cell degeneration and cell death were found in gill cavities but not within gill domains. These degenerative cells were found to contain multivesicular and membranous residual bodies, suggesting that the multivesicular bodies are part of the cell degeneration. Cellular debris was observed in intercellular spaces probably as a consequence of cell lysis. The presence of multivesicular bodies was also observed in cells shortly before Coprinus basidiocarps underwent autolysis: a high dose of hydrolytic enzymes can be extracted from such basidiocarps. The high numbers of multivesicular bodies, the membranous residual bodies, and the cellular debris in the primordial tissues are manifestations of cell degeneration that may be a prerequisite to gill remodelling during early primordial development.