• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.50 no.3
• /
• pp.173-178
• /
• 2014

We have developed a method for the preparation of dispersed cell suspensions of Chondromyces crocatus, which is essential for quantitative studies of fruiting body formation. Cells of C. crocatus have a tendency to aggregate in liquid, hindering quantitative studies. However, cells grown on casitone-yeast extract agar plates, containing 3% agar, allowed the preparation of well-dispersed cell suspensions. Cell suspensions at a concentration of $2{\times}10^8cells/ml$, obtained by using this method, developed typical C. crocatus fruiting bodies when placed as $20{\mu}l$ spots on agar plates with no nutrient supplementation. The addition of nutrients such as casitone altered or inhibited fruiting body formation. Fruiting body branch formation increased with increasing agar content. Under optimum conditions, the formation of fruiting body structure in C. crocatus KYC2823 was completed within 24 h.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.316-321
• /
• 2009

We have isolated Chondromyces crocatus KYC2823 in pure culture and five other strains in mixed culture with companion bacteria from Korean soil samples. The strain KYC2823, which was isolated from the soil sample collected in Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, showed typical characteristics of C. crocatus, including the shape of fruiting bodies and production of a peculiar odor. In addition, the 16S rDNA sequence was 99.8% identical to that of the strain Cm c5, the proposed neotype strain of C. crocatus. Cloning and sequence analysis of the polyketide biosynthetic genes from KYC2823 by performing PCR have revealed that this strain has biosynthetic gene clusters for ajudazols (inhibitors of electron transport systems) and chondramides (substances affecting the function of the actin cytoskeleton), and biosynthetic genes for other polyketide compounds that have not been cloned yet.