A species of Heterobasidion was encountered during a diversity study of endophytic fungi from healthy root tissues of chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Korea. The fungal species (CNU081069) was identified as Heterobasidion araucariae based on phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer and translation elongation factor gene sequences. Morphological descriptions of the endophytic isolate matched well with the previous references and supported the molecular identification. The fungus Heterobasidion araucariae CNU081069 is new to Korea.

The study introduces the genus Mycobilimbia, from South Korea. M. philippina is reported here as being new to the country. Characteristic features of the species are crustose thallus, globose apothecia, K-proper exciple and hypothecium, Biatora-type asci, 3-septate fusiform ascospores, and a lack of secondary compounds.

During an investigation of fungi from an elm tree infested with bark beetles in Korea, one isolate, DUCC401, was isolated from elm wood. Based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer and 28S rDNA (large subunit) sequences, the isolate, DUCC401, was identified as Mariannaea samuelsii. Mycelia of the fungus grew faster on malt extract agar than on potato dextrose agar and oatmeal agar media. Temperature and pH for optimal growth of fungal mycelia were 25oC and pH 7.0, respectively. The fungus demonstrated the capacity to degrade cellobiose, starch, and xylan. This is the first report on isolation of Mariannaea samuelsii in Korea.

Interest in commercial cultivation and product development of Cordyceps species has shown a recent increase. Due to its biochemical and pharmacological effects, Cordyceps militaris, commonly known as orange caterpillar fungus, is being investigated with great interest. Cultivation of C. militaris has been practiced on a large scale in order to fulfill a demand for scientific investigation and product development. Isolates of C. militaris can be easily established from both spores and tissue. For isolation of spores, ascospores released from mature stromata are trapped in sterile medium. Multi-ascospore isolates, as well as combinations of single ascospore strains, are used for production of fruiting bodies. Progeny ascospore strains can be isolated from artificial fruiting bodies, thus, the cycle of fruiting body production can be continued for a long period of time. In this study, we examined fruiting body production from multi-ascospore isolates and their progeny strains for three generations. $F_1$ progeny strains generally produced a larger number of fruiting bodies, compared with their mother multi-ascospore isolates; however, $F_2$ and $F_3$ progeny strains produced fewer fruiting bodies. Optimum preservation conditions could help to increase the vitality of the progeny strains. In order to retain the fruiting ability of the strains, further testing of various methods of preservation and different methods for isolation should be performed.

Genes encoding the cellobiohydrolase enzyme (CBHI), designated as cbhI, were isolated from the basidiomycetes Auricularia fuscosuccinea, Pleurotus giganteus, P. eryngii, P. ostreatus, and P. sajor-caju. Initially, the fungal genomic DNA was extracted using a modified cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) protocol and used as a DNA template. The cbhI genes were then amplified and cloned using the pGEM-T Easy Vector Systems. The sizes of these PCR amplicons were between 700~800 bp. The DNA sequences obtained were similar showing high identity to the cbhI gene family. These cbhI genes were partial consisting of three coding regions and two introns. The deduced amino acid sequences exhibited significant similarity to those of fungal CBHI enzymes belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 7.

Ten strains of the entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana were evaluated to find the most effective strain for optimization studies. The first criterion tested for strain selection was the mortality (> 50%) of Spodoptera litura larvae after inoculation of the fungus for 4 days. Results on several bioassays revealed that B. bassiana BNBCRC showed the most virulence on mortality S. litura larvae (80% mortality). B. bassiana BNBCRC also showed the highest germination rate (72.22%). However, its conidia yield ($7.2{\times}10^8$ conidia/mL) was lower than those of B. bassiana B 14841 ($8.3{\times}10^8$ conidia/mL) and M. anisopliae M6 ($8.2{\times}10^8$ conidia/mL). The highest accumulative radial growth was obtained from the strain B14841 (37.10 mm/day) while the strain BNBCRC showed moderate radial growth (24.40 mm/day). M. anisopliae M6 possessed the highest protease activity (145.00 mU/mL) while M. anisopliae M8 possessed the highest chitinase activity (20.00 mU/mL) during 96~144 hr cultivation. Amongst these criteria, selection based on virulence and germination rate lead to the selection of B. bassiana BNBCRC. B. bassiana B14841 would be selected if based on growth rate while M. anisopliae M6 and M8 possessed the highest enzyme activities.

Nuruk contributes to the unique characteristics of Korean alcoholic beverages. In this study, the effects of nuruk extracts (NE) on anti-oxidant characters, melanogenesis, and anti-photoaging activity were investigated. NEs were obtained from the 70% ethanol extracts of six types of nuruk, which have been used in brewing of fermented alcohol beverages in Korea. First, various antioxidant characteristics were identified in terms of 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiozoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) expression, and inhibition of xanthine oxidase activity. NE#4 exhibited potent ABTS radical scavenging activity ($IC_{50}$ = 19.51 ${\mu}g$/mL). Compared with NE#4, relatively lower levels of activity were observed for NE#3 and NE#6, with $IC_{50}$ values of 90.99 and 76.88 ${\mu}g$/mL, respectively. According to results of western blot analysis for determination of SOD expression in $H_2O_2$-treated HepG2 cells, NE#5 and NE#6 induced a dramatic increase in the expression ratio of SOD, compared to the group treated with $H_2O_2$ only. Activity of xanthine oxidase, which converts xanthine into uric acid, generating superoxide ions, was inhibited by NE#4 and NE#6 in a dose-dependent manner. NE#4 induced significant inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase activity. A reduction in cellular melanin contents of 80% was observed in B16F1 melanocytes treated with NE#5 and NE#6; these effects were similar to those of arbutin at 100 ${\mu}M$. In addition, gelatin zymography and reverse transcription-PCR analysis were performed for assessment of anti-photoaging activity of Nuruk. Treatment with NE#6 resulted in dramatically inhibited activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2/-9, suppressed expression of MMP-1, and increased expression of type-1 procollagen. Results of gelatin zymography for NE#4 and NE#5 were similar, to a slightly lesser degree. These results suggest the potential of NE#4 and NE#6 as natural ingredients for use in functional foods and cosmetics.

Multiple treatment modalities, including topical and systemic corticosteroid and phototherapy, have been used in treatment of patients with atopic dermatitis. However, long-term corticosteroid therapy may have various adverse effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of bath therapy using green tea extracts for treatment of patients with atopic dermatitis. A total of four patients with atopic dermatitis were enrolled in this study. A Malassezia multiplex detection kit was used in performance of multiplex PCR on clinical isolates, which confirmed Malassezia sympodialis. Subjects underwent treatment with bath therapy using green tea extracts three times per wk for a period of 4 wk. Assessment using the scoring atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) index, the visual analogue scale for pruritus, and transepidermal water loss was performed weekly. Laboratory tests were performed before and after treatment. All patients showed marked improvement on the mean SCORAD and visual analogue scale, and a significant decrease in the mean values of serum eosinophil counts was observed after treatment. Bath therapy with green tea extract is an effective, safe, and nonsteroidal therapy for treatment of patients with atopic dermatitis associated with Malassezia sympodialis.

A new disease, the slippery scar, was investigated in cultivated bags of Auricularia polytricha. This fungus was isolated from the infected mycelia of cultivated bags. Based on morphological observation, rDNA-internal transcribed spacer and 18S sequence analysis, this pathogen was identified as the Ascomycete Scytalidium lignicola. According to Koch's Postulation, the pathogenicity of S. lignicola to the mycelia of A. polytricha was confirmed. The parasitism of this fungus on mushroom mycelia in China has not been reported before.

Mushrooms collected from Deogyu mountain, Korea, in 2011, were identified as four classes, four orders, 13 families, 22 genera, and 33 species. In particular, agaricales was most abundant and comprised more than 70%. Their antioxidant activities were estimated using three different bioassay methods, the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) radical scavenging assay, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, and reducing power assay. As a result, the methanol extracts of Stereum ostrea, Laetiporus sulphureus var. miniatus, and Tyromyces sambuceus exhibited potent antioxidant activity in all bioassays tested.

We measured physiological functionalities, including antihypertensive angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory activity and immun-stimulating ${\beta}$-glucan content for sixty kinds of Makgeolli that is commercially available from the market. As a result, we selected R-12 commercial raw Makgeolli, with a high content of immuno-stimulating ${\beta}$-glucan, and R-14 commercial raw Makgeolli, exhibiting high antihypertensive activity. Due to the similarities in their overall physicochemical properties and raw materials used for fermentation, we compared the microbial flora in order to investigate the reason for the differences in their functionalities. Nested PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis for yeasts and bacteria were performed for analysis of microbial diversity of two different kinds of Makgeolli (i.e., R-12, R-14), which showed immuno-stimulating ${\beta}$-glucan content and exhibited a very high level of antihypertensive activity, respectively. Analysis of the 18S rDNA amplicon revealed a major presence of the yeast strain Pichia burtonii in every Makgeolli sample. Analysis of the 16S rDNA amplicon revealed a predominance of lactic acid bacteria, and the most frequent lactic acid bacteria were Lactobacillus ingluviei, L. fermentum, and L. harbinensis, and Lactobacillus sp. Among these, L. harbinensis was detected only in R-12 and L. ingluviei was found only in R-14. Different functionalities from the individual commercially available Makgeolli may be attributed to actions of different microbial flora during fermentation.

During the search for neuraminidase inhibitors from medicinal fungi, we found that the culture broth of Phellinus linteus exhibited potent inhibitory activity. Solvent partition, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were performed for purification of two active substances from the culture broth. According to $^1H$ NMR measurements and comparison of HPLC retention times with those of authentic compounds, their chemical structures were identified as hispidin and hypholomine B. Compounds (hispidin) 1 and 2 (hypholomine B) inhibited neuraminidase, with $IC_{50}$ values of 13.1 and 0.03 ${\mu}M$, respectively.

The root of Hibiscus syriacus (Malvaceae) has been used for treatment of fungal diseases such as tinea pedis (athlete's foot). In this study, we investigated the antifungal constituent of the root of Hibiscus syriacus Ggoma, which was produced by a mutation breeding using gamma ray irradiation, and compared the antifungal activity of H. syriacus Ggoma and its parent type. According to the results, the methanolic extract of H. syriacus Ggoma exhibited four times higher antifungal activity than its parent type against Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Following purification through various column chromatographies, the antifungal substance was identified as nonanoic acid on the basis of spectroscopic analysis.