• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.875-880
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• 2000

The production of glucoamylase and exopolygalacturonase from Cryptococcus laurentii Y-23 were investigated with the inducible substrates and mineral salts. Soluble starch induced only glucoamylase wherease pectin induced exopolygalacturonase as well as glucoamylase, and glucose did not induce glucoamylase whereas pectic acid induced a little amount of exopolygalacturonase. At the productions of two enzymes by inducible substrates for the 5 day-cultivation, the yeasts started log phase around 12 hours and mostly reached stationary phase around 36 hours. The best productivity of glucoamylase was observed with addition of soluble starch in the cultivation for 72 to 86 hours, and the high productivity of exopolygalacturonase was done by addition of both pectin and soluble starch in the cultivation for more than 72 hours. Without ammonium sulfate in the medium, however, cultural pH was so increased gradually that production of both enzymes were decreased and delayed as well. $Mn^{2+}$ increased both productivities of glucoamylase and exopolygalacturonase with 21% and 18%, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.257-264
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• 2006

Fifty eight Cryptococcus neoformans strains isolated from clinical and environmental sources in Korea were examined for their serotypes and extracellular enzyme activities. Among the 51 strains isolated from clinical sources, 48 strains were serotype A (94.1%), 2 strains were serotype B (3.92%), and 1 strain was serotype D (1.96%). All seven environmental strains isolated from pigeon excreta were identified as serotype A. All isolates of C. neoformtans were positive for the production of extracellular proteinase and phospholipase. In the API-ZYM system, all fifty eight isolates produced alkaine phosphatase, esterase C4, esterase lipase: C8, leucine arylamidase, acid phosphatase, naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrase, $\alpha$-glucosidase and $\beta$-glucosidase. Thirty nine isolates (67.2%) of C. neoformans produced N-acetyl-$\beta$-glucosidase. Two isolates, serotype B, and B only one serotype A produced $\beta$-glucuronidase. Analysis of enzymatic profiles to 21 enzymes revealed four biotypic patterns among the 58 strains. The enzymatic patterns of C. neoformans isolated from clinical and environmental sources represented a significant relationship with the serotypes.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.185-191
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• 2013

Several yeast colonies were isolated from wild flowers collected from East, West and South coast areas of Korea by plating of flower suspensions on the YPD plates containing antibiotics, streptomycin and ampicillin. Polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were performed for the amplification of D1/D2 region of 26S rDNA for those colonies. PCR-amplified nucleotide sequences were compared using BLAST for their identification. As results, 27 yeast strains belonged to 15 species were isolated from wild flowers collected at Donghae, where is located in eastern coast of Korea. Also, 34 strains belonged to 17 species were isolated from wild flowers of Daecheon, where is located in western coast of Korea. In addition, 22 strains belonged to 13 species were isolated from wild flowers collected at Wando, where is located in southern coast of Korea. Among those 45 species isolated from 3 different collection sites, only 4 species including Cryptococcus laurentii, Metschnikowia koreensis, Pseudozyma rugulosa, and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were found from all 3 different collection sites. And 5 species including Cryptococcus aureus, Cryptococcus flavus, Hanseniaspora uvarum, Pichia guilliermondii, and Rhodosporidium fluviale were overlapped from the at least 2 different collection sites. Other 23 species were found only in a specific collection sites implying that each area has distinctive yeast flora.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.138-144
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• 2016

Twelve unrecorded yeasts, Pseudozyma prolifica HL9-1, Trichosporon coremiiforme NS19-2, Candida cretensis SA4-1, Cryptococcus diffluens TJ4-3, Cryptococcus pinus YB17-2, Candida vartiovaarae DD2-5, Pichia galeiformis DM3-5, Candida pseudolambica JW2-3, Trichosporon xylopini NS5-1, Trichosporon moniliiforme NS5-7, Tetrapisispora iriomotensis NS14-2, and Tetrapisispora nanseiensis SA17-1, were screened among 97 yeasts from soils of Chungcheongnam-do and Daejeon metropolitan city, Korea. These yeasts were oval or ellipsoidal and had a budding system for vegetative reproduction. They grew well in yeast extract-peptone-dextrose (YPD) medium and, in particular, Tetrapisispora iriomotensis NS14-2 and Candida cretensis SA4-1 grew well in 10% NaCl-containing YPD broth. Nine strains, including Trichosporon coremiiforme NS19-2, assimilated xylose and four yeast strains, such as Candida vartiovaarae DD2-5, also assimilated lactose. Physiological functionalities of cell-free extracts and supernatants from two halophilic unrecorded yeasts, Candida cretensis SA4-1 and Tetrapisispora iriomotensis NS14-2, were investigated. Cell-free extracts from Candida cretensis SA4-1 and Tetrapisispora iriomotensis NS14-2 exhibited 71.3% and 68.4% antihypertensive angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.2026-2026
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• 2019

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 1982

A case of systemic cryptococcosis developed in 4 year old boy was described and illustrated by light and electron microscope. Light microscopically, the upper dermis of the skin showed chronic nonspecific inflammation with numerous spherical spores surrounded by a clear halo created by the wide gelatinous capsule. Ultrastructurally, the C. neoformans showed the wide capsule containing microfibrils that appeared to radiate from the cell wall and to coil and interwine in various directions. The cell was uninucleate with a single nucleolus. Along the inner nuclear envelope, numerous small vesicles were present. In addition, C. neoformans presented membranous organelles derived from the plasma membrane and comparable to bacterial mesosomes.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.123-126
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• 2009

Cryptococcosis is a subacute or chronic inflammation that's caused by infection from cryptococcus neoformans in the soil or dust that's contaminated by pigeon droppings. Pulmonary cryptococcosis occurs in immunocompromised patients, and particularly in HIV positive patients, but it rarely occurs in immunocompetent individuals. It is most often detected as asymptomatic single or multiple nodules that are found by chest X-ray examination. In these situations, the diagnosis for most cases is made by the histology of the resected lesion. We report here on a case of solitary nodular pulmonary cryptococcosis that occurred in a 32 years old female patient who underwent thyroidectomy for treating her thyroid cancer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1696-1700
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• 2016

In order to discover plant-derived signaling pathway inhibitors with antifungal properties, a two-component screening system utilizing the calcineurin and Hog1 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways responsible for the virulence networks of Cryptococcus neoformans was employed, owing to the counter-regulatory actions of these pathways. Of the 1,000 plant extracts tested, two bioactive compounds from Miliusa sinensis were found to act specifically on the calcineurin pathway of C. neoformans. These compounds, identified as pashanone and 5-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavanone, exhibited potent antifungal activities against various human pathogenic fungi with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 4.0 to >128 μg/ml.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.50-53
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• 2015

Usually fungal infections caused by opportunistic and pathogenic fungi had been an important cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients. However clinical data and investigations for immunocompetent pathogenic fungal infections had been rare and neglected into clinical studies. Especially Cryptococcal brainstem abscess cases mimicking brain tumors were also much more rare. So we report this unusual case. This 47-year-old man presented with a history of progressively worsening headache and nausea for 1 month and several days of vomituritions before admission. Neurological and laboratory examinations performed demonstrated no abnormal findings. Previously he was healthy and did not have any significant medical illnesses. A CT and MRI scan revealed enhancing $1.8{\times}1.7{\times}2.0$ cm mass lesion in the left pons having central necrosis and peripheral edema compressing the fourth ventricle. And also positron emission tomogram scan demonstrated a hot uptake of fluoro-deoxy-glucose on the brainstem lesion without any evidences of systemic metastasis. Gross total mass resection was achieved with lateral suboccipital approach with neuronavigation system. Postoperatively he recovered without any neurological deficits. Pathologic report confirmed Cryptococcus neoformans and he was successively treated with antifungal medications. This is a previously unreported rare case of brainstem Cryptococcal abscess mimicking brain tumors in immunocompetent host without having any apparent typical meningeal symptoms and signs with resultant good neurosurgical recovery.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1377-1381
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• 2014

In order to discover and develop novel signaling inhibitors from plants, a screening system was established targeting the two-component system of Cryptococcus neoformans by using the wild type and a calcineurin mutant of C. neoformans, based on the counter-regulatory action of high-osmolarity glycerol (Hog1) mitogen-activated protein kinase and the calcineurin pathways in C. neoformans. Among 10,000 plant extracts, that from Harrisonia abyssinica Oliv. exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity against C. neoformans var. grubii H99 with fludioxonil. Bioassay-guided fractionation was used to isolate two bioactive compounds from H. abyssinica, and these compounds were identified as chebulagic acid and chebulanin using spectroscopic methods. These compounds specifically inhibited the calcineurin pathway in C. neoformans. Moreover, they exhibited potent antifungal activities against various human pathogenic fungi with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.25 to over $64{\mu}g/ml$.