ABSTRACT
The common split-gilled mushroom, Schizophyllum commune Fr., is an edible medicinal mushroom traditionally consumed throughout South East Asia and India. It is wood-decaying fungus growing naturally on wood that commonly causes white rot and is exclusively distinct from other gill fungus. Pharmacologically, S. commune is extremely important because it produces the polysaccharide schizophyllan which is a β-D glucan used as biological response modifier along with chemo- and radiation therapy along with other medicinal properties having capable factors for the prevention of several of human infirmities. The mushroom can be easily cultured in laboratory conditions on artificial media like potato dextrose agar, oatmeal agar or malt extract agar. The mushroom is a model system for studying genetic analyses for mating-type functions and mushroom development. The genome sequence of the mushroom has paved way for studies on beneficial enzymes in the basidiomycetes fungi. It is a fungal cell factory enriched with various metabolites giving it a special place in different spheres of human life.
