• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.05a
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• pp.30-30
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• 2014

We isolated various yeasts from wild flowers in main islands, Jejudo, Ulleungdo and Yokjido of Korea and their yeasts were identified by comparison of their PCR-amplified D1/D2 regions of 26S rDNA using the BLAST database. Thirty two yeast strains of fourteen species were isolated from wild flowers of Jejudo. Forty eight yeast strains of twenty two species were isolated and identified from wild flowers of Ulleungdo, Korea. Sixty yeast strains belonged to twenty five species were isolated identified from wild flowers of Yokjido in Tongyeong, Korea. Only Metschnikowia reukaufii was overlapped from the three different islands areas. Two species overlapped from Jejudo and Ulleungdo: Pichia guilliermondii, Metschnikowia reukaufii. Seven species were overlapped from Ulleungdo and Yokjido: Cryptococcus albidus, Cryptococcus laurentii, Metschnikowia reukafii, Pichia scolyti, Rhodotorula glutinis, Rhodotorula graminis and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Four species were overlapped from Jejudo and Yokjido: Candida sp. Cryptococcus aureus, Metschnikowia reukafii and Pseudozyma sp.

• Mycobiology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.215-218
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• 2010

Azoles are currently the most widely used class of antifungal drugs clinically, and are effective for treating fungal infections. Target site of azoles is ergosterol biosynthesis in fungal cell membrane, which is absent in the mammalian host. However, the development of resistance to azole treatments in the fungal pathogen has become a significant challenge. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of a UPC2 homolog in the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. UPC2 plays roles in ergosterol biosynthesis, which is also affected by the availability of iron in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. C. neoformans mutants lacking UPC2 were constructed, and a number of phenotypic characteristics, including antifungal susceptibility and iron utilization, were analyzed. No differences were found between the mutant phenotypes and wild type, suggesting that the role of C. neoformans UPC2 homolog may be different from those in S. cerevisiae and C. albicans, and that the gene may have a yet unknown function.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1177-1179
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• 2015

A new approach to obtain broadly cross-reactive antisera against important yeast pathogens by intensive hyperimmunization with polysaccharide-protein conjugates is described here. Surface mannan of Candida albicans and capsular galactoglucoxylomannan of Cryptococcus laurentii were isolated and chemically linked to human serum albumin. Antisera elicited by a 7-week vigorous immunization of rabbits with the conjugates showed effective cross-reactive growth inhibition of different representatives of Candida spp. as well as Cryptococcus spp. IgG antibodies are evidenced as the effective component of the antisera.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.269-272
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• 1992

208 yeast strains were isolated from air at El-Minia city, Egypt. Using 22 morphologi cal and physiological merkmals, these strains were identified and assignned to eight species belonging to seven genera. Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Cryptococcus albidus were the most dominant species followed by Debaryomyces hansenii. These yeast species occurred regularly, whereas other species appeared sporadically. Rh. rubra, Saccharomyces kluyveri and Rh. aurantiaca were also isolated from the sampled air. The results of this study showed that time, hight and area of air sampling affect composition and total counts of yeast microflora in the air.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.73-76
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• 1993

227 red yeast strains were isolated from air (60 isolates), plant flowers (45 isolates), soil (40 isolates), water (37 isolates) and dairy products (45 isolates). On the basis of 33 different physiological and morphological properties, the isolated strains were assigned to 6 species belonging to 4 genera. Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Cryptococcus albidus were the most dominant species among red yeasts of the air, plant flowers, water and dairy products, whereas Cryptococcus albidus and Rhodotorula glutinis were prevailed in soil. Cryptococcus laurentii was represented by considerable number of strains, whereas the other spesies were of low occurrence. Noteworthy was the isolation of 2 different groups of isolates belonging to Rhodotorula glutinis. These groups were differentiated from each other on the basis of rhamnose, cellobiose and arabinitol assimilation and growth at $37^{\circ}C$. Systematic position of Rhodotorula glutinis was discussed.

• Mycobiology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.188-193
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• 2005

Twenty nine samples of pigeon droppings (n = 12) and soil contaminated with avian excreta (n = 19), collected from different sites in Busan, were examined for isolation and characterization of Cryptococcus neoformans. Of these samples, 5 strains of C. neoformans were recovered from pigeon droppings (5/12 : 41.7%). All isolates were belonged to C. neoformans var. grubii (serotype A). The extracellular enzyme activities of the strains by using the API-ZYM system showed two different enzymatic patterns. The genetic variability among C. neoformans isolates was analyzed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) using three 10-mer primers. Two different RAPD patterns, which clearly distinguished the isolates, were identified. Analysis of RAPD patterns provided a good characterization of environmental strains of C. neoformans serotype A as a heterogeneous group and were in good agreement with enzymatic profiles.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.127-131
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• 1986

The mating types and serotypes of 10 clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans have been investigated. Seven isolates were serotype A and three were serotype D and thus they fell in C. neoformans var. neoformans. Mating types of six isolates were found $\alpha$ and two were $\alpha$ but another two isolates were untypable. Enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay(ELISA) using rabbit hyper-immune serum to cryptococcal polysaccharides was well adapted to the analysis of capsular polysaccharides in sera of the patients with cryptococcal meningitis.

• 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.30 no.2
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• pp.93-95
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• 2002

The antifungal activities of propolis on Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans were evaluated. In microbroth culture assay, the MIC(minimum inhibitory concentration) of propolis for C. neoformans and C. albicans were 2 and 16 mg/ml, respectively. In propolis-included solid medium assay, the MIC of propolis for C. neoformans and C. albicans were 4 and 16 mg/ml, respectively. Propolis showed fungicidal activity against C. neoformans, whereas propolis possesed fungistatic activity against C. albicans. The MFC(minimum fungicidal concentration) for C. neoformans was 8 mg/ml. Cell morphology of C. neoformans was affected by treatment of propolis. In scanning electron microscope, the appearance of cell rupture was observed.

• Mycobiology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.427-431
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• 2014

Mitochondrial protein Nfu1 plays an important role in the assembly of mitochondrial Fe-S clusters and intracellular iron homeostasis in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, we identified the Nfu1 ortholog in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Our data showed that C. neoformans Nfu1 localized in the mitochondria and influenced homeostasis of essential metals such as iron, copper and manganese. Marked growth defects were observed in the mutant lacking NFU1, which suggests a critical role of Nfu1 in Fe-S cluster biosynthesis and intracellular metal homeostasis in C. neoformans.