Laboratory of Fungal Biochemistry

Komarov Botanical Institute Basidiomycetes Culture Collection (LE-BIN) preserves and maintains dikaryon strains of various taxonomical and ecological groups of basidial macromycetes originating from different geographical regions. It is an integral part of the Laboratory of Fungal Biochemistry. The Collection was established in the late 1950s for study of biologically active compounds and enzymes in basidiomycetes. In the late 1990s, a new project based on the idea of macromycete conservation ex situ started in the Collection. A plan of the Collection’s development was altered to include conservation ex situ of taxonomical and ecological diversity of basidiomycetes in Russia with emphases on preserving rare and endangered species, maintaining ectomycorrhizal fungi, and culturing species strains useful for biotechnology and medicine. Most of the Collection strains are original isolates from field works in various regions of Russia (European areas, the Caucasus, Urals, Siberia, and Far East) mainly in protected zones, i.e. nature reserves and national parks, but there are many strains from territories of the former USSR, Vietnam, USA and some other countries. Original specimens are identified by taxonomist specialists in various groups of macromycetes. Voucher specimens for maintaining cultures are preserved in the Mycological Herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute (LE). Cultures maintained in the Collection are mainly of saprotrophic mushrooms including xylotrophs, litter decomposers, soil saprotrophs, and fungi growing in nature on various other substrata. Some ectomycorrhizal fungi (e.g. species of Amanita, Boletus, and Suillus) are also maintained in the collection. Nowadays LE–BIN is the largest living collection of basidiomycetes in Russia, preserving approximately 10 % of the natural diversity of these fungi in Russia.

Abbreviation: LE-BIN (WDCM1015)

Contact: Dr Nadezhda Psurtseva, the Head curator of the Basidiomycetes Culture Collection

Address: Komarov Botanical Institute RAS, Laboratory of Fungal Biochemistry, Prof. Popov Str., 2, St Petersburg, 197376, Russia

E-mail: nadyapsu@binran.ru; nadyapsu@mail.ru

Mycological interest: macromycetes

Number of cultures: about 3200 strains.

Taxonomical diversity: strains belong to over 700 species of macromycetes from Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. Names of the LE–BIN cultures are regularly updated following modern nomenclature primarily as set out in Index Fungorum.

Preservation methods: the strains are maintained using 3 methods: as sub-cultures in tubes on beer-ale (4° Balling) agar (2 %) slants at 4–6°C; in screw-cap vials under distilled water at room temperature; by cryopreservation (mechanical deep-freeze) in cryovials at -80°C (the method has been started from 2011).

List of provided services:

Providing macromycetes strains on the user's request.
Deposit of macromycetes strains in the LE-BIN.
Identification of strains using the cultural and molecular methods.
Consultations on cultivation of macromycetes strains.

Publications about the LE-BIN:

Hall G.S., Minter D.W. International mycological directory. Third edition. CAB International, 1994. P.63-64.

Psurtseva N.V., Kiyashko A.A., Gachkova E.Y., Belova N.V. Basidiomycetes Culture Collection LE (BIN): Catalogue of Strains. M., SPb: KMK Scientific Press Ltd. 2007. 116 p.

Psurtseva N.V. Ex situ fungal conservation: the role of culture collections // Mycologia Balcanica. 2010. Vol. 7. P. 29-35.

Psurtseva N.V. Conservation of Medicinal Mushrooms in the LE (BIN) Culture Collection // Int. J. Med. Mushrooms. 2010. Vol. 12, N 2. P. 193-199.

List of strains:
List of strains of the LE-BIN includes 1463 strains of agaricoid, aphyllophoroid and gasteroid fungi of over 500 species listed in alphabetic order. A list of 14 ascomycetes strains maintained in the LE BIN is given in the Appendix.
Download the list as PDF.