title: A Taxonomic Revision of the Wallemia sebi Species Complex.
abstract: Wallemia sebi is a xerophilic food- and air-borne fungus. The name has been used for strains that prevail in cold, temperate and tropical climates. In this study, multi-locus phylogenetic analyses, using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, DNA replication licensing factor (MCM7), pre-rRNA processing protein (TSR1), RNA polymerase II largest subunit (RPB1), RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) and a new marker 3´-phosphoadenosine-5´-phosphatase (HAL2), confirmed the previous hypothesis that W. sebi presents a complex of at least four species. Here, we confirm and apply the phylogenetic analyses based species hypotheses from a companion study to guide phenotypic assessment of W. sebi like strains from a wide range of substrates, climates and continents allowed the recognition of W. sebi sensu stricto and three new species described as W. mellicola, W. Canadensis, and W. tropicalis. The species differ in their conidial size, xerotolerance, halotolerance, chaotolerance, growth temperature regimes, extracellular enzyme activity profiles, and secondary metabolite patterns. A key to all currently accepted Wallemia species is provided that allow their identification on the basis of physiological, micromorphological and culture characters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Sašo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jančič
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Hai D T
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jens C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Frisvad
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Polona
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zalar
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Hans-Josef
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Schroers
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Biodiversity (Mycology), Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Keith A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Seifert
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Centre of Excellence for Integrated Approaches in Chemistry and Biology of Proteins (CIPKeBiP), Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gunde-Cimerman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D058751:Livestock / Q000382:microbiology; D064168:Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 7 / Q000235:genetics; D009708:Nucleotidases / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D064210:Secondary Metabolism; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D009708:Nucleotidases; D064168:Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 7