Efficient expression of heterologous genes by the introduction of the endogenous glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene intron 1 in Ganoderma lucidum

BACKGROUND: Ganoderma lucidum, a well-known medicinal mushroom, has received wide attention as a promising cell factory for producing bioactive compounds. However, efficient expression of heterologous genes remains a major challenge in Ganoderma, hindering metabolic regulation research and molecular breeding of this species. RESULTS: We show that the presence of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (gpd) intron 1 at the 5′ end of, the 3′ end of, or within the heterologous phosphinothricin-resistant gene (bar) is efficient for its expression in G. lucidum. The enhanced expression of bar is exhibited by the higher accumulation of mRNA and increased amounts of protein. Moreover, the insertion of the gpd intron 1 in the β-glucuronidase gene (gus) elevates its mRNA accumulation and enzyme activity, which facilitates the use of this reporter gene in Ganoderma. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated the importance of the introduction of gpd intron 1 for the efficient expression of bar and gus in G. lucidum. The presence of the gpd intron 1 in heterologous genes increases levels of mRNA accumulation and protein expression in basidiomycete Ganoderma. The developed method may be utilized in upregulating the expression of other heterologous genes in Ganoderma. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-021-01654-8.