Auricularia delicata (Fr.) Henn. has a pantropical distribution and belongs to a morphological group called the "jelly-fungi" based on the gelatinous consistency of the fruiting bodies. Jelly-fungi have evolved independently in three classes of Agaricomycotina: Tremellomycetes, Dacrymycetes, and Agaricomycetes; the latter is roughly equivalent to the mushroom-forming fungi. Auricularia includes many edible species, such as the highly priced wood ear or Mu-Err fungus (A. auricula-judae) that play important roles in global economies. Medicinal properties including antilipemic and antiageing effects and immunological function increase in mice are attributed to some species, however, the beneficial compounds responsible have not been fully characterized in A. delicata. Auricularia species are one of the earliest branching lineages in the Agaricomycetes and produce a white rot on dead and decaying wood. The study of delignifying enzymes in Auricularia is in an initial stage but it has been suggested that some species produce class II heme peroxidases (e.g., lignin peroxidases LiP and manganese peroxidases MnP) found in other groups of white rot fungi. These findings are still awaiting confirmation by sequencing data. In addition, dye-decolorizing peroxidases (DyP) with manganese-independent peroxidase activities have been detected. Further studies are needed to assess the ligninolytic potential of DyP enzymes in the biodegradation and conversion of synthetic dyes that are harmful to the environment. The genomic sequence of A. delicatea will help to address these questions and owing to its relatively basal position in Agaricomycotina, provide an excellent chance to study the evolution of enzymes involved in white rot comparatively in more derived groups, for which genomic data are already available (e.g., Polyporales and Agaricales).
