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Penicillium janthinellum by Keith Seifert
Penicillium janthinellum by Keith Seifert

Penicillium janthinellum

Penicillium species are moulds found commonly associated with soil, decaying organic matter, and as storage rots or pathogens of fruits and vegetables. They are usually asexual members of the Eurotiales in the Ascomycota, although some species also produce a sexual state. Morphologically, the species are distinguished by their brush-like sporulating structures, which produce long green chains of dusty, single celled spores. They are equally well known for biodeterioration of organic matter, for their production of antibiotics such as penicillin and griseofulvin, toxic metabolites (mycotoxins) such as ochratoxin A, patulin, and penitrem A in food and grain, and their starring roles in camembert and blue cheeses. Some Penicillium species can also release fixed phosphorus (P) in the soil and make it available to growing plants. Compared with other nutrients, P is the least mobile and available to plants in most soils. P-solubilizing fungi play an important role in the global P cycle and can supply P to plants in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. P. janthinellum is a soil fungus that can also live as an endophyte inside of host plants, where it contributes to stress tolerance. Although P. janthinellum is closely related to several phosphate solubilizers, it is not a strong phosphate solubilizer itself. The P. janthinellum genome will help to unravel mechanisms of P solubilization and fungal contributions to the P cycle.