10.5061/DRYAD.CG1JV
Henk, Daniel A.
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College Faculty
of Medicine, St Mary’s Campus, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK
Eagle, Carly E.
University of Nottingham
Brown, Kevin
Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum, St Mary’s Hospital Praed Street,
London W2 1NY, UK
van den Berg, Marco A.
DSM Anti‐Infectives, PO Box 425, 2600 AK Delft, The Netherlands
Dyer, Paul S.
University of Nottingham
Peterson, Stephen W.
National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research
Fisher, Matt C.
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College Faculty
of Medicine, St Mary’s Campus, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK
Data from: Speciation despite globally overlapping distributions in
Penicillium chrysogenum: the population genetics of Alexander
Fleming's lucky fungus
Dryad
dataset
2011
Microbial Biology
Penicillium chrysogenum
2011-07-05T16:16:43Z
2011-07-05T16:16:43Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05244.x
117760 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Eighty years ago, Alexander Fleming described the antibiotic effects of a
fungus that had contaminated his bacterial culture, kick starting the
antimicrobial revolution. The fungus was later ascribed to a putatively
globally distributed asexual species, Penicillium chrysogenum. Recently,
the species has been shown to be genetically diverse, and possess
mating-type genes. Here, phylogenetic and population genetic analyses show
that this apparently ubiquitous fungus is actually composed of at least
two genetically distinct species with only slight differences detected in
physiology. We found each species in air and dust samples collected in and
around St Mary’s Hospital where Fleming worked. Genotyping of 30 markers
across the genome showed that preserved fungal material from Fleming’s
laboratory was nearly identical to derived strains currently in culture
collections and in the same distinct species as a wild progenitor strain
of current penicillin producing industrial strains rather than the type
species P. chrysogenum. Global samples of the two most common species were
found to possess mating-type genes in a near 1:1 ratio, and show evidence
of recombination with little geographic population subdivision evident.
However, no hybridization was detected between the species despite an
estimated time of divergence of less than 1 MYA. Growth studies showed
significant interspecific inhibition by P. chrysogenum of the other common
species, suggesting that competition may facilitate species maintenance
despite globally overlapping distributions. Results highlight
under-recognized diversity even among the best-known fungal groups and the
potential for speciation despite overlapping distribution.
Henk_Fleming_Penicillium_dataLocation, allelic profiles, and species
assignment in a single datasheet. A second datasheet contains allelic size
information.