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Pulverized, undecayed wood was shown to be, in general, inhibitory to attempts to use enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in detecting and quantifying the decay fungus Postia placenta (Fr.) M. Lars. et Lomb. Nevertheless, the assay was still able to adequately detect the presence of P. placenta at a greater than 1: 10,000 dilution even in the presence of 0.1 g/ml spruce wood. The use of polyvinyl pyrrolidone did not improve ELISA performance but adsorbent polystyrene had some effect on the assay sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect and quantify Postia placenta (Fr.) M. Lars. et Lomb. in decaying wood. The fungus was detected as early as ten days after inoculation suggesting that ELISA may be effective in detecting early incipient decay. Decay-induced weight loss in P. placenta decayed spruce blocks was correlated with the absorbance values obtained in the ELISA reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A monoclonal antibody (Mab) produced to purified Mn(II)-peroxidase was visualized on and within cell corners of birch wood degraded by Phanerochaete chrysosporium using colloidal gold immuno-transmission electron microscopy techniques. Labelling of the fungal cell membrane and cell wall was also observed. The same Mab was used to visualize the penetration of extracellular fungal metabolite extracts, infiltrated into previously decayed wood. Binding of antibodies to the lignin-rich cell corner region of the middle lamella in wood decayed by P. chrysosporium was observed in sectioned wood blocks and in wood infiltrated with crude extracellular extracts from P. chrysospirium liquid cultures. When a control monoclonal antiserum, produced to extracellular metabolites of Postia (Poria) placenta and cross-reactive with fungal cellulase, was used in labelling, the cellulose rich region of the wood cell walls were labelled. Labelling in the middle lamella cell corners was only noted in what has been described as nonor poorly lignified cell corner regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) wood blocks were incubated in modified soil block jars and inoculated with one of nine white rot or brownrot basidiomycetes. Concentrations of calcium, magnesium, potassium,iron, and aluminum were determined using inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy in wood incubated 0, 1.5, 4, and 8 months afterinoculation. Concentrations of calcium and magnesium tended to increase with time in a linear fashion in wood inoculated with fungi. Patterns of change in potassium concentrations varied. Concentrations of iron and aluminum were high in wood decayed by some of the fungi, particularly Postia placenta (Fr.) M. Larsen & Lombard. Temporal trends in wood cation concentration varied among decay fungi tested, indicating that species of decay fungus should be considered when examining the role of wood decay in nutrient cycling in the forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]