The genus Peniophora contains aggressive wood-decayers
and some plant pathogenic fungi mostly found on twigs and branches
(often high up on standing trees) of various gymno- and
angiosperms. They form flat, crust-like fruiting bodies of dull to
vivid reddish colors and have been a focus of intense taxonomic
interest. Nevertheless, the taxonomy and species recognition in
Peniophora is still in a major flux with several species
and species complexes only partially defined. The genus forms its
own family (Peniophoraceae) along with some smaller genera within
the Russulales, a diverse clade of mostly ectomycorrhizal but also
saprotrophic and parasitic mushroom-forming fungi.
Species of Peniophora are very efficient white-rotters of
wood and have been shown to produce a wide array of laccases. Thus,
the genome of this species will help understanding the evolution of
plant cell wall decomposing machinery in Agaricomycetes and
potentially contribute to the isolation of efficient enzymes for
biotechnological purposes.
Peniophora was sequenced as part of the 1000 Fungal
Genomes project. Family-level relationships are currently poorly
understood in the Russulales, so we are hoping that it will help
understanding the evolution of Russulales in greater detail.
This sequencing project was aimed at Lophodermium nitens,
but was later found to be an uncharacterized strain of
Peniophora.