A High-Quality Genome Sequence of the Penicillium oxalicum 5-18 Strain Isolated from a Poplar Plantation Provides Insights into Its Lignocellulose Degradation

Studies on the degradation of plant cell wall polysaccharides by fungal extracellular enzymes have attracted recent attention from researchers. Xylan, abundant in hemicellulose, that play great role in connection between cellulose and lignin, has seen interest in its hydrolytic enzymatic complex. In this study, dozens of fungus species spanning genera were isolated from rotting leaves based on their ability to decompose xylan. Among these isolates, a strain with strong xylanase-producing ability was selected for further investigation by genome sequencing. Based on phylogenetic analysis of ITS (rDNA internal transcribed spacer) and LSU (Large subunit 28S rDNA) regions, the isolate was identified as Penicillium oxalicum. Morphological analysis also supported this finding. Xylanase activity of this isolated P. oxalicum 5-18 strain was recorded to be 30.83 U/mL using the 3,5-dinitro-salicylic acid (DNS) method. Further genome sequencing reveals that sequenced reads were assembled into a 30.78 Mb genome containing 10,074 predicted protein-encoding genes. In total, 439 carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) encoding genes were predicted, many of which were associated with cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, chitin and starch degradation. Further analysis and comparison showed that the isolate P. oxalicum 5-18 contains a diverse set of CAZyme genes involved in degradation of plant cell wall components, particularly cellulose and hemicellulose. These findings provide us with valuable genetic information about the plant biomass-degrading enzyme system of P. oxalicum, facilitating a further exploration of the repertoire of industrially relevant lignocellulolytic enzymes of P. oxalicum 5-18.