Penicillium Diversity from Intertidal Zone in Korea

Penicillium species are commonly isolated from various outdoor and indoor environments, including marine environments such as sponges, algae and sand. Penicillium is especially important because numerous bioactive compounds have been isolated. Penicillium was the most common species in intertidal zone in Korea, however the diversity and ecological roles of Penicillium in intertidal zone are not clarified. We explored diversity and ecological roles of marine-derived Penicillium from tidal flat and sea sand in Korea. The diversity of marine-derived Penicillium from Korea was investigated using both culture-dependent and culture-independent approach by ${\beta}$-tubulin sequence. In addition, we evaluated optimal temperature, halo-tolerance, and enzyme activity of Penicillium strains, such as extracellular alginase, endoglucanase, ${\beta}$-glucosidase, and protease. For culture-dependent approach, a total of 182 strains of 62 Penicillium species were isolated, with 53 species being identified. The most common species was Penicillium oxalicum, followed by P. crustosum, P. brasilianum, P. koreense, and P. griseofulvum. Species richness and composition were not significantly different by season, substrates, and seaside. For culture-independent approach using Illumina sequencing, 73 OTUSs were detected. The most frequently observed species was P. antarcticum, followed by P. koreense, P. crustosum, and P. brevicompactum. Diversity of Penicillium was higher during winter season than during summer season and in western sea than in southern sea, respectively. Community structure was significantly different by season and sea side. 52 species were detected by both methods. Unique species were isolated from each of methods - 10 from culture methods and 21 from Illumina sequencing. Furthermore, salinity adaption of the Penicillium varied depending on species. Many Penicillium species showed endoglucanase, ${\beta}$-glucosidase, and protease activity. Some species including P. paneum and P. javanicum degraded the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Thus, our results demonstrate that intertidal zone in Korea harbors diverse Penicillium community and marine-derived Penicillium play important ecological roles as decomposers of organic material in marine environments.