• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.239-243
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• 2012

Mushrooms have a long history of use in traditional medicine, and hundreds of novel constituents in mushrooms with miraculous biological properties have been identified recently. Although diverse effects for medicinal use of mushrooms such as anticancer activity are proven, their reversal activities of drug resistance in cancer cells was rarely reported so far. In the search for novel medicinal use of mushrooms, we tested the multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal activities of diverse mushrooms collected from Korea. Among, the mushroom extracts tested, Cantharellus cibarius (M02) and Russula emetica (M12) revealed MDR reversal activities of paclitaxel in the P-glycoprotein (Pgp)-positive HCT15 and MES-SA/dX5 cancer cells, but not in the Pgp-negative A549 and MES-SA cancer cells. In addition, these mushrooms also enhanced the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin, another well-kwown Pgp-associated anticancer drug against MES-SA/DX5 cells, but not against MES-SA cells. Meanwhile, the cytotoxicity of cisplatin, a well-known Pgp-non-associated anticancer drug, was not affected by the mushrooms all the cells tested. From these results, we suspected that some ingredients of M02 and M12 have Pgp-associated MDR reversal activities.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.256-262
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• 2011

A 20.9-kDa metalloprotease was isolated from dried fruiting bodies of the wild basidiomycete mushroom Lepista nuda. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the protease was seen to be ATFVLTAATNTLFTA, thus displaying no similarity with the sequences of previously reported metalloproteases. The protease was purified using a procedure that entailed ion-exchange chromatography on CM-Cellulose, Q-Sepharose, and Mono S, and FPLC-gel filtration on Superdex 75. The protease functioned at an optimum pH of 7.0 and an optimum temperature of $50^{\circ}C$. It was also noted that the protease demonstrated a proteolytic activity of 1,756 U/mg toward casein. The $K_m$ of the purified protease toward casein was 6.36 mg/ml at a pH of 7.0 and with a temperature of $37^{\circ}C$, whereas the $V_{max}$ was 9.11 ${\mu}g\;ml^{-1}\;min^{-1}$. The activity of the protease was adversely affected by EDTA-2Na, suggesting that it is a metalloprotease. PMSF, EGTA, aprotinin, and leupeptin exerted no striking inhibitory effect. The activity of the protease was enhanced by $Fe^{2+}$, but was curtailed by $Cd^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, $Hg^{2+}$, $Pb^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, and $Fe^{2+}$ ions. The protease also exhibited inhibitory activity against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase with an $IC_{50}$ value of 4.00 ${\mu}M$. The $IC_{50}$ values toward hepatoma Hep G2 and leukemia L1210 cells in vitro were 4.99 ${\mu}M$ and 3.67 ${\mu}M$, respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.247-253
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• 1994

This study was carried out to isolate and characterize $A{\alpha}$ mating locus controlling fruiting body formation directly in the Basidiomycete Schzophyllum commune growing in the North America. Total numbers of genomic library of S. commune UVM1-34 was about $2{\times}10^4$ cells. About 90% library was appeared to have about 35 kb inserted genome DNA in cosmid pTC20 vector. 6 clones were proved to have positive signal to probes within Z and Y region in colony and southern hybridization. In the mating activity test, all the 6 positive clones were appeared to have $A{\alpha}3$ mating activity although they had two different restriction patterns. pSC13 containing 5.7 Kb PstI-fragment of UVM 1-34 $A{\alpha}3$ allele showed about 50% clamp cell formation indicating mating activity when cotransformation was done together with cosmid pTC20.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.529-532
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• 2006

Recently the production of ethanol from lignocecllulosics has received much attention due to immense potential for conversion of renewable biometerials into biofuels and chemicals. Fomitopsis palustris causes a typycal brown-rot and is unusual in that it rapidly depolymerize the cellulose in wood without removing the surrounding lignin that normally prevents microbial attack. This study demonstrated that the brown rot basidiomycete F. palustris was able to degrade crystalline cellulose. This fungus could also produce the three major cellulases (BGL, EXG and EG) when the cells were grown on 2.0% Avicel. The fungus was able to degrade both the crystalline and amorphous forms of cellulose from woody biomasses. Moreover, we found that this fungus has the processive EG like CBH which are able to degrade the crystalline region of cellulose. To establish the cellulase system in relation with degradation of woody biomass, we performed that purification, characterization and molecular cloning of a BGL, EGs and GLA from F. palustris grown on Avicel.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.462-469
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• 2000

Sixty-one strains representing the main genera of wood-decaying xylariaceous fungi (mainly in Daldinia, Hypoxylon, Kretzschmaria, Rosellinia, Penzigia, and Xylaria) were tested for their ability to produce ligninolytic enzymes. The phenol oxidase activity and fungal growth of the xylariaceous fungi on gallic aicid and tannic acid media showed a variation in their ability to degrade lignocellulose. A number of species showed equal 개 betterligninolytic enzyme activities than Coriolus versicolor, a known basidiomycete wood-degrader. A large variation of the enzyme activity was observed by individual strains as well as a substantial variation between the isolates of the same species. The most frequent ligninolytic enzymes were peroxidase and general oxidase. With 19% of the strains tested, peroxidase showed the strongest ligninolytic enzyme activity, while tyrosinase activity was detected only in 7% of the strains. All strains of Kretzschmaria and Rosellinia tested was positive for laccase. Xylariaceous fungi were able to degrade the macromolecule, lignin, using each specific ligninolytic enzyme in the specfic lignin degradation pathway.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2000

Based on the study by Leatham and Stabmann concerned with the rates (v) of amines and phenolic compounds oxidation catalyzed by laccase of basidiomycete Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Sing., as well as on the results of semiempirical quantum chemical computations using the PM3 method, the linear correlations of v and lnv values with first vertical ionization potentials of the substrates molecules and radicals derived from them, spin densities on N and O atoms of the above radicals, and with the radicals reorganization energies have been found.

• Mycobiology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.195-201
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• 2012

During the investigation of Korean indigenous fungi from Seoul, three genera-Fuscoporia, Porostereum, and Trametopsis, and four species-Fuscoporia senex, Phlebia acerina, Porostereum spadiceum, and Trametopsis cervina were found. Their morphological characteristics were examined and their identification was confirmed by molecular analysis based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA region sequences. These fungi are new to Korea and registered here with descriptions.

• Mycobiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.143-150
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• 2011

The basidiomycete fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is an important pathogen of immunocompromised people. The ability of the fungus to sense its environment is critical for proliferation and the generation of infectious propagules, as well as for adaptation to the mammalian host during infection. The conserved cAMP/protein kinase A pathway makes an important contribution to sensing, as demonstrated by the phenotypes of mutants with pathway defects. These phenotypes include loss of the ability to mate and to elaborate the key virulence factors capsule and melanin. This review summarizes recent work that reveals new targets of the pathway, new phenotypic consequences of signaling defects, and a more detailed understanding of connections with other aspects of cryptococcal biology including iron regulation, pH sensing, and stress.

• Mycobiology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2013

Msi1-like (MSIL) proteins, which are eukaryote-specific and contain a series of WD40 repeats, have pleiotropic roles in chromatin assembly, DNA damage repair, and regulation of nutrient/stress-sensing signaling pathways. In the fungal kingdom, the functions of MSIL proteins have been studied most intensively in the budding yeast model Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an ascomycete. Yet their functions are largely unknown in other fungi. Recently, an MSIL protein, Msl1, was discovered and functionally characterized in the pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans, a basidiomycete. Interestingly, MSIL proteins appear to have redundant and unique roles in both fungi, suggesting that MSIL proteins may have evolutionarily divergent roles in different parts of the fungal kingdom. In this review, we will describe the current findings regarding the role of MSIL proteins in fungi and discuss future directions for research on this topic.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.213-216
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• 1982

To find antitumor components with low toxicity in natural products of Korean Basidiomycete, the carpophores of Flammulina velutipes (Fr.) Sing. were extracted with hot water for eight hours. The extract was purified by dialyzing through Visking tube and a protein-bound polysaccharide fraction was obtained as pale brownish amorphous powder after it was freeze-dried. The fraction was examined for antitumor activity against sarcoma 180 implanted subcutaneously in the left groins of I.C.R. mice. The inhibition ratio of this fraction of against the tumor was 62.3% at the dose of 10 mg/kg/day for the period of ten days. The tumors in three of the ten treated mice were completely regressed.