Ethylene regulates mycelial growth, primordium formation, and postharvest mushroom maturation and senescence in the white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. However, it remains unknown how ethylene is detected by the mushroom. In this study, we found that two hybrid histidine kinases in the mushroom, designated AbETR1 and AbETR2, showed domain structures similar to those of plant ethylene receptors. The transmembrane helices of AbETR1 and AbETR2 were expressed in yeast cells and showed ethylene-binding activities. Mushroom strains with downregulated expressions of AbETR1 and AbETR2 showed reduced sensitivity to the ethylene inhibition of mycelial growth, ethylene regulation of their own synthesis, postharvest mushroom maturation, and senescence and expression of maturation- and senescence-related genes. Therefore, AbETR1 and AbETR2 are expected to be biologically functional ethylene receptors and exhibit a different mode of action from that of the receptors of plants. Here, we fill gaps in the knowledge pertaining to higher fungus ethylene receptors, discover a novel mode of action of ethylene receptors, confirm ethylene as a novel fungal hormone, and provide a facilitated approach for preventing the maturation and senescence of postharvest button mushrooms. IMPORTANCE Ethylene regulates diverse physiological activities in bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, and plants, but how to perceive ethylene by fungi only remains unknown. In this study, we identify two biologically functional ethylene receptors in the basidiomycete fungus Agaricus bisporus, which fills the gaps of deficient fungal ethylene receptors. Furthermore, we found that decreased expression of the ethylene receptors facilitates preventing the maturation and senescence of postharvest button mushrooms, indicating that the two fungal ethylene receptors positively regulate the ethylene response, in contrast to that in plants.
Keywords: basidiomycetes; ethylene receptor; ethylene-binding activity; ethylene-binding domain; hybrid histidine kinase; maturation- and senescence-related genes.