The genome sequence and gene predictions of Penicillium digitatum were not determined by the JGI, but were downloaded from NCBI and have been published (Marina Marcet-Houben et al., 2012). Please note that this copy of the genome is not maintained by the author and is therefore not automatically updated.
Citrus is one of the most economically important fruit crops in the world and it is particularly susceptible to postharvest damage because harvested fruits are usually stored before they reach the market for fresh consumption, a period in which they are subject to both biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Fungi, which are particularly adapted to a saprophytic lifestyle, are among the main biological agents causing crop deterioration during transport and storage. In citrus, a common postharvest disease known as green mold and caused by Penicillium digitatum can account for up to 90% of the total losses, especially in arid and sub-tropical climates
P. digitatum is a necrotrophic wound pathogen that requires pre-existing injured fruit peel to penetrate the plant tissue, and it colonizes mostly through the deployment of maceration enzymes. Remarkably, and despite this rather unspecific infection mechanism, P. digitatum exhibits a high degree of host specificity and has not been described as 'naturally-occurring' in other pathosystems outside citrus fruits.
Genome Reference(s)
Marcet-Houben M, Ballester AR, de la Fuente B, Harries E, Marcos JF, González-Candelas L, Gabaldón T
Genome sequence of the necrotrophic fungus Penicillium digitatum, the main postharvest pathogen of citrus.
BMC Genomics. 2012 Nov 21;13():646. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-13-646