Penicillium rubens UNK
This genome represents one of two metagenome-extracted genomes that were recovered from contaminated DNA and RNA samples, initially part of the Aspergillus whole-genus sequencing project.
The top two metagenome bins for this sample matched Penicillium rubens UNK and Paraphoma fimeti UNK. Binned DNA reads were assembled separately, and a shared transcriptome library was assembled by Trinity. Subsequently, the JGI Annotation Pipeline was used to produce structural and functional annotations.
Species of the genus Penicillium are well known for a number of roles in production of secondary metabolites, food production, enzyme production and food spoilage. P. rubens is very closely related to P. chrysogenum. The samples used in the first isolation of the antibiotic penicillin have been attributed to both species over time, while modern phylogenetic analyses indicate that these genomes may represent a single species. (1,2)
References
- Hibbett DS, Taylor JW. Fungal systematics: is a new age of enlightenment at hand? Nat Rev Microbiol. 2013 Feb;11(2):129-33. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro2963. Epub 2013 Jan 3.
- Houbraken J, Frisvad JC, Samson RA. Fleming's penicillin producing strain is not Penicillium chrysogenum but P. rubens. IMA Fungus. 2011 Jun;2(1):87-95. doi: 10.5598/imafungus.2011.02.01.12. Epub 2011 Jun 7.
