Instead, activity within primordia is necessary for the completion of primordiation, with cellulases of the mycelia beneath the primordia digesting the cellulosic substrate to provide a source of carbon and energy. Volvariella volvacea shows a high level of expression of a laccase gene, lac1, as well as high laccase activity, particularly during the primordial stage [36]. Taken together, these findings indicate that different laccases function at various stages of development as well as in lignin degradation.