title: Genome, Transcriptome, and Functional Analyses of Penicillium expansum Provide New Insights Into Secondary Metabolism and Pathogenicity.
abstract: The relationship between secondary metabolism and infection in pathogenic fungi has remained largely elusive. The genus Penicillium comprises a group of plant pathogens with varying host specificities and with the ability to produce a wide array of secondary metabolites. The genomes of three Penicillium expansum strains, the main postharvest pathogen of pome fruit, and one Pencillium italicum strain, a postharvest pathogen of citrus fruit, were sequenced and compared with 24 other fungal species. A genomic analysis of gene clusters responsible for the production of secondary metabolites was performed. Putative virulence factors in P. expansum were identified by means of a transcriptomic analysis of apple fruits during the course of infection. Despite a major genome contraction, P. expansum is the Penicillium species with the largest potential for the production of secondary metabolites. Results using knockout mutants clearly demonstrated that neither patulin nor citrinin are required by P. expansum to successfully infect apples. Li et al. ( MPMI-12-14-0398-FI ) reported similar results and conclusions in their recently accepted paper.
authors.forename: Ana-Rosa
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Ballester
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marcet-Houben
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Noa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sela
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Selma-Lázaro
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carmona
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wisniewski
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Droby
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: González-Candelas
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gabaldón
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002953:Citrinin / Q000378:metabolism; D002957:Citrus / Q000382:microbiology*; D005638:Fruit / Q000382:microbiology; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D015723:Gene Library; D016681:Genome, Fungal / Q000235:genetics*; D023281:Genomics; D058507:Host Specificity; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010365:Patulin / Q000378:metabolism; D010407:Penicillium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D064210:Secondary Metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D059467:Transcriptome; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors; D002953:Citrinin; D010365:Patulin