Abstract
Both Antrodia cinnamomea and A. salmonea are fungi of the Polyporaceae. Antrodia
cinnamomea, which only grows on the inner side of the trunk of Cinnamomum kanehirai
Hayata (Lauraceae), is a precious medicinal fungus; A. salmonea causes brown heart rot
disease of Cunninghamia konishii Hayata (Cunninghamieae) in Taiwan. It is difficult to
distinguish A. cinnamomea from A. salmonea because of their morphological similarities.
Antrodia salmonea is commonly used as a counterfeit substitute for A. cinnamomea and
sold by dishonest merchants. In 2004, these 2 fungi were first distinguished by the pore
surface color of the basidiomata, host preferences, and mating types. However, accurate identification relies on professional training and experience. Moreconvenient and-persuasive methods are necessary for precisely identifying A. cinnamomea. In this study, we applied 6
fungal primer pairs in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, and analyzed sequences
of amplified DNA fragments between A. cinnamomea and A. salmonea. Results showed
that one of these primer pairs could amplify a particular DNA fragment from A. salmonea, which
was approximately 1.5 kb longer than that from A. cinnamomea. Based on this 1.5-kb difference
in sequences, another primer pair named Acl-F/Acl-R was designed for the specific detection
of A. salmonea. A specific fragment, of 219 bp, was yielded only from A. salmonea, whereas
no fragment was yielded from A. cinnamomea by the PCR assay. In this study, we established
a rapid and accurate identification technique for A. salmonea, which will be helpful in rapidly differentiating A.salmonea from A. cinnamomea. Additionally it also saves significant time as the entire procedure only takes about 1 h and has high sensitivity. This identification method can
provide objective evidence for industry and public institutions. Key words: Antrodia
cinnamomea, Antrodia