title: Insights into Penicillium roqueforti Morphological and Genetic Diversity.
abstract: Fungi exhibit substantial morphological and genetic diversity, often associated with cryptic species differing in ecological niches. Penicillium roqueforti is used as a starter culture for blue-veined cheeses, being responsible for their flavor and color, but is also a common spoilage organism in various foods. Different types of blue-veined cheeses are manufactured and consumed worldwide, displaying specific organoleptic properties. These features may be due to the different manufacturing methods and/or to the specific P. roqueforti strains used. Substantial morphological diversity exists within P. roqueforti and, although not taxonomically valid, several technological names have been used for strains on different cheeses (e.g., P. gorgonzolae, P. stilton). A worldwide P. roqueforti collection from 120 individual blue-veined cheeses and 21 other substrates was analyzed here to determine (i) whether P. roqueforti is a complex of cryptic species, by applying the Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition criterion (GC-PSR), (ii) whether the population structure assessed using microsatellite markers correspond to blue cheese types, and (iii) whether the genetic clusters display different morphologies. GC-PSR multi-locus sequence analyses showed no evidence of cryptic species. The population structure analysis using microsatellites revealed the existence of highly differentiated populations, corresponding to blue cheese types and with contrasted morphologies. This suggests that the population structure has been shaped by different cheese-making processes or that different populations were recruited for different cheese types. Cheese-making fungi thus constitute good models for studying fungal diversification under recent selection.
authors.affiliation: Université de Brest, EA 3882 Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Microbienne, ESIAB, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Plouzané, France.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gillot
authors.affiliation: Université de Brest, EA 3882 Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Microbienne, ESIAB, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Plouzané, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jany
authors.affiliation: Université de Brest, EA 3882 Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Microbienne, ESIAB, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Plouzané, France.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coton
authors.affiliation: Université de Brest, EA 3882 Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Microbienne, ESIAB, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Plouzané, France.
authors.forename: Gaétan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Le Floch
authors.affiliation: Université de Brest, EA 3882 Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Microbienne, ESIAB, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Plouzané, France.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Debaets
authors.affiliation: Origine, Structure, Evolution de la Biodiversité, UMR 7205 CNRS-MNHN, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP39, Paris Cedex 05, France; Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay cedex, France; CNRS, Orsay cedex, France.
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ropars
authors.affiliation: Origine, Structure, Evolution de la Biodiversité, UMR 7205 CNRS-MNHN, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP39, Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López-Villavicencio
authors.affiliation: Origine, Structure, Evolution de la Biodiversité, UMR 7205 CNRS-MNHN, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP39, Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Joëlle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dupont
authors.affiliation: Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay cedex, France; CNRS, Orsay cedex, France.
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Branca
authors.affiliation: Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay cedex, France; CNRS, Orsay cedex, France.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Giraud
authors.affiliation: Université de Brest, EA 3882 Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Microbienne, ESIAB, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Plouzané, France.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coton
mesh_terms: D002611:Cheese / Q000382:microbiology; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D014644:Genetic Variation; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D010407:Penicillium / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny