Romanian Biotechnological Letters Vol., No. x, 2017 Copyright © 2017 University of Bucharest Printed in Romania. All rights reserved ORIGINAL PAPER Molecular characterization based on internal transcribed spacer (its) marker sequence of fungal strains isolated from heritage ethnographic textiles Received for publication, January 3, 2017 Accepted, September 5, 2017 HORTENSIA CLARA RĂDULESCU# 1,2 , IRINA GHEORGHE#* 2,3 , GRATIELA GRADISTEANU 2,3 , ADRIANA ISPAS 4 , CRISTINA POPESCU 4 , GEORGETA ROŞU 4 , IONELA AVRAM 2,3 , VERONICA LAZĂR 2,3 1 National Research-Development Institute for Textile and Leather, Bucharest, Romania 2 Bucharest University, Biology Faculty, Botany and Microbiology Department, Romania 3 Research Institute of Bucharest University, ICUB, Romania 4 National Museum of Romanian Peasant, Bucharest, Romania # these authors equally contributed to this *corresponding author e-mail address: IRYNA_84@yahoo.com Abstract Fungi play an important role in the biotransformation process in nature. Through their rich enzymatic equipment there are able to colonize and degrade a broad range of substrates, inorganic and organic. Though positive in most economical areas, their ecological behavior is harmful for heritage goods, especially those made of organic polymers. Heritage textiles are a special field where the action of microfungi can be highly damaging, since most of the textiles collections worldwide are made of natural fibers, such as hemp, flax, cotton, wool or silk. In the present study 16 strains of filamentous fungi were isolated from different heritage ethnographical textiles, part of the collection of The National Museum of Romanian Peasant. After the phenotypical culture-based characterization, a molecular approach was developed and applied in order to identify the genetic fingerprint of each strain. The molecular characterization was done based on the ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) marker, since in the last decade it is the widely used sequence for taxonomy and molecular phylogeny for fungi and other taxa. Our results showed a predominance of Penicillium species and also Alternaria sp. and Cladosporium sp. Molecular methods combined with classical methods for species identification give complementary data and an accurate image of the fungal biodeterioration process on heritage textiles. ITS, Heritage textiles, - R PC DNA extraction, Transcribed Spacer (ITS), Internal : Keywords Ethnographical textiles, Penicillium sp. 1. Introduction The microorganisms consider our cultural heritage nothing more than a simple substrate. Microbiota degrading heritage textile goods can represent a serious problem for art collections (CAPODICASA & al. [1]; STERFLINGER [2]; LÓPEZ-MIRAS & al. [3]; DYDA & al. [4]). Textiles made from natural fibres are generally more susceptible to biodeterioration than are the synthetic fibres (PAUL [5]). This is because their porous hydrophilic structure retains water, oxygen and nutrients, providing perfect environments for microorganisms growth. Products such as starch, protein derivatives, fats and oils used in finishing of textiles can also promote microbial growth (BORYO [6]). Microorganisms may attack the entire substrate, that is the textiles fibres or may attack only one components of the substrate, such as plasticizer contained there in, or grow on dirt that has accumulated on the surface of a product. Nevertheless, even mild surface growth can make a fabric look unattractive by the appearance of unwanted pigmentation. Heavy infestation which results in rotting and breakdown of the fibres and subsequent physical changes such as loss of strength