Aeronautical Mutagenesis and Whole-genome Resequencing Reveal the Genetic Basis of Color Change in <i>Naematelia aurantialba</i>

<i>Naematelia aurantialba</i>, a rare yellow edible fungus with both nutritional and medicinal properties, is of significant importance in industrial cultivation due to its color-changing characteristics. This study was designed to develop novel color-changing germplasm resources and to explore associated functional genes. We applied aeronautical mutagenesis to the strains and utilized whole-genome resequencing to analyze the mutational profiles, thereby identifying candidate genes associated with color change. In the color-changed strains, we detected 201 SNPs and 307 InDels, predominantly located in the upstream (46.83%) and downstream (43.77%) regions of genes. By integrating SNP and InDels data, we identified seven mutational sites that were co-mutated in at least three strains. Gene annotation of these sites revealed 29 candidate genes, including three with unknown functions, which may significantly influence the color change trait in <i>N. aurantialba</i>. qRT-PCR results indicated significant differences in the expression of <i>NAU27003649</i> between white and yellow strains, suggesting its potential role in the color variation. This research pioneers the application of aviation mutagenesis to generate new germplasm for <i>N. aurantialba</i>, offering new insights into the genetic basis of its color change traits.