GENETIC AND METABOLIC VARIATIONS AMONG Penicillium roqueforti ISOLATES

Eleven isolates belonging to Penicillium roqueforti were classified from the analysis of their crude extracts by a polyphasic approach with data processing, using the profiles of their fatty acids; secondary and volatile metabolites as taxonomic markers for these isolates, as well as random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction pattern (RAPD-PCR) technique for the phylogenetic relationship analysis at the intraspecies level using six universal primers. The study showed that with the harmony of all the four investigated markers, about all of the investigated isolates could be classified correctly at the intraspecific level using only the analysis of metabolites produced on one growth medium (YES), except in case of the volatile profile which succeeded as cladogenetic profile but not as a strain marker. The study revealed the ability of RAPD-PCR technique to evaluate the genetic diversity among the investigated isolates at the sub-species level, as well as a rapid and easy method than traditional characterization techniques. Other relations between isolates could be read from the dendrograms and the efficient classification showed the potential of this polyphasic approach identification system.