Molecular and biochemical taxonomic tools for the identification and classification of plant-pathogenicPenicilliumspecies

Abstract

Five species of Penicillium (Penicillium chrysogenum, P. funiculosum, P. griseofulvum, P. implicatum and P. oxalicum) are implicated in seed-borne diseases. Here, we report the discovery of molecular markers based on the internal transcribed spacer regions of fungal ribosomal DNA (rDNA), which are described as primary DNA barcode markers of fungi, for rapid diagnosis and early detection of Penicillium spp. The present markers are expected to be useful for the prevention of seedling and systemic plant diseases associated with Penicillium spp. Our findings, which provide valuable insights into the taxonomy of Penicillium spp., should contribute to improve safety of agricultural produce, thereby protecting both humans and animals from harmful food contaminants such as mycotoxins. In addition, we examined the cellular fatty acid composition of five species of Penicillium. The species studied were found to possess similar fatty acid composition; however, they differed in terms of relative concentration. The principal fatty acids were oleic acid (C18:1) and linoleic acid (C18:2), comprising 80% or more of the total fatty acid composition of these species. These fatty acid profiles may be useful for characterization and identification of fungi. Data derived from the present study highlight the importance of using polyphasic methods for accurate specieslevel identification of Penicillium.

Taxonomy and evolution of Aspergillus, Penicillium and Talaromyces in the omics era – Past, present and future

“…Moreover, in some cases, species of the same subgenus such as Furcatum could be separated based on their fatty acid profiles, which mainly differed in the relative concentration rather than the composition of fatty acids; although difficulties existed for the subgenus Penicillium [ 100 ]. The fact that the species differentiation power relied on the variation in fatty acid relative concentration was observed by Mahmoud et al as well [ 101 ]. Fatty acid profiling has also been successfully used to differentiate Aspergillus species [ 102 , 103 ].…”

A polyphasic approach to the characterization of potential silver-nanoparticles–producing and non-producing isolates of Alternaria species and antifungal activity against mycotoxigenic fungi

“…[10] and Penicillium spp. [42,43]. Fatty acids such as stearic, palmitic and lauric acids are used as stabilizers, which adsorb on the surface (passivation) of the as-formed AgNPs and prevent aggregation.…”

Virulence Potential of Penicillium Chrysogenum Isolated from Subclinical Bovine Mastitis

“…In fungi, PCR depends on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of fungal ribosomal DNA (r DNA) for the identification of many fungi, including P. chrysogenum [13]. This ITS region in fungi consists of 3 sub-regions, namely ITS1 and ITS2, which are considered as variable regions, and 5.8S gene, which is considered as the highly conserved region [14].…”